BY KEVIN STONE
KTAR.com
Ariell Olivia Dix, 37, was sentenced to 3½ years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $4 million in restitution for her role in a Medicaid fraud scheme involving fake sober living homes in Arizona. Dix pleaded guilty to one count of illegal control of an enterprise, which defrauded the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) out of millions of dollars.
The scam, which targeted Native American communities, ran from January 2019 to September 2021. Dix, who had been previously banned from Nevada’s Medicaid program for fraud, was part of a larger group of defendants accused of exploiting the American Indian Health Program to siphon funds.
In addition to her prison sentence, Dix was ordered to repay $3,863,036.15. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office emphasized that the case serves as a warning against exploiting vulnerable populations and public health programs.
The fraud left hundreds of victims, mostly Native Americans, without stable housing and care. In response, the Attorney General’s Office created a $6 million grant program to help tribal nations recover from the economic and social harm caused by the scam.
