Attorney General Coleman secures guilty verdict in Marcus Minix Sr., Medicaid fraud case

By Roberta Cantrell

BSN Associate Editor

FRANKFORT — On Wednesday, April 3, a guilty verdict was been secured by the Attorney General in a Medicaid Fraud Case.

In a recent press release AG Russell Coleman announced that actions by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Control resulted in a jury conviction of Marcus S. Minix Sr., 73, of Lexington for fraud and theft.

Minix, an optician, owned and operated an eye care center in Floyd and Johnson counties where he submitted false billings for services never provided.

He was found guilty of one count of Theft by Unlawful Taking (Class D felony) and one count of Devising or Engaging in a scheme to Defraud the Kentucky Medical Assistance Program (Class D felony).

Over a dozen victimized patients could not receive proper eye care because of his criminal activity the press release said. It went on to say several of his victims were children, including one who was legally blind in one eye and had delays getting glasses.

“The defendant did more than defraud the Medicaid program. He cheated Kentucky families and children out of critical medical help just to make a quick buck,” said AG Coleman. “These are serious crimes, and our team will continue to investigate and prosecute them so we can protect Kentucky families.”

Minix was indicted in May of 2018, along with his ex-wife Amy K. Slone on the charges of TBUT property over $10,000 and defrauding the Medicaid system of $300 dollars or more.

The indictment alleged that in 2015 and 2016 false billings were submitted on behalf of Minix Eye Care for services that were not provided but paid for by Medicaid. Slone and Minix, who were married and working at the eye center at the time were also allegedly withdrawing large amounts of money from The Minix Eye Care accounts where Medicaid money was deposited.

The case was investigated by Detective Tim Dials and auditor Michael Ward with the AG’s office of Medical Fraud and Abuse Control. Deputy David Startsman as well as Assistant Attorneys General Linsey Hogg and Zach Ousley prosecuted the case on behalf of the Commonwealth.

No information on Slone was available at press time.