An Arizona man who federal prosecutors say made nearly $20 million through fraudulent Medicaid billing is now facing an 11-count indictment after allegedly using some of the money to buy luxury property, designer goods and a Rolls-Royce he proudly showed off online.
FOX 10 Phoenix investigative reporter Justin Lum reported that 48-year-old Maurice Williams is charged with health care fraud and money laundering in a case tied to Arizona’s Medicaid system, known as AHCCCS.
Federal investigators say Williams operated a Phoenix behavioral health provider called Thinking and Learning Together 2 between May 2022 and May 2023, then billed AHCCCS for tens of millions of dollars in services that were never actually provided.
A $5.5 Million Mansion And A Rolls-Royce
Lum opened the report outside a massive home in Peoria’s Casa de Sunrise community.
The property spans more than 12,000 square feet on roughly 2.5 acres and includes six bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a resort-style pool, outdoor entertainment space, a tennis court and a 12-car garage.
The home is valued at about $5.5 million.
According to federal authorities, it was purchased with money tied to the alleged fraud scheme.
Williams also appeared to enjoy showing off his wealth publicly.
Lum highlighted a 2022 Facebook video in which Williams displayed a Rolls-Royce Cullinan valued at around $300,000.
“Man, God’s been good to me,” Williams said in the video. “This is a gift from me to me.”
That kind of social media post becomes especially striking once prosecutors begin tracing where the money allegedly came from. A luxury car or oversized mansion can look like evidence of success online, but federal investigators say in this case the lifestyle was built in part with money meant for health care services.
Federal Government Says Son Was Listed As Owner
Court records cited by Lum show that Williams ran Thinking and Learning Together 2, also referred to as TLT2.
The federal government alleges that Williams falsely listed his son as the company’s owner when registering the business with AHCCCS.
Investigators say the reason was to avoid disclosing Williams’ prior felony convictions.
According to the indictment, TLT2 billed specifically for Native American members enrolled in the American Indian Health Plan.
The scale of the billing was enormous.
Federal investigators say Williams submitted roughly $33 million in claims.
U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine told FOX 10 that the business allegedly billed for services that were not actually provided.
“He may have acted like he was hard at work providing services,” Courchaine said, “but the fact of the matter was that he was defrauding an important program, the American Indian healthcare program, for his own gain.”
Claims Included “Impossible Attendance Patterns”
The alleged billing patterns raised several red flags.
Lum reported that prosecutors identified claims involving highly unlikely hours, impossible attendance patterns and patients who were incarcerated or at entirely different facilities at the time services were supposedly provided.
Despite those alleged problems, AHCCCS ultimately paid TLT2 about $19.7 million.
Federal authorities say the money was deposited into bank accounts tied to Williams.
That is where the case moves beyond questionable paperwork and into the kind of financial trail investigators can follow directly. If services were billed at times or places where patients could not possibly have received them, those records can become powerful evidence in a fraud case.
Courchaine described the allegations as a direct misuse of a public program designed to pay for care.
Nearly $14 Million Recovered
Federal authorities say they were able to move quickly when the case reached the charging stage.
Courchaine said investigators used search warrants, seizure orders and other warrants to recover a large portion of the money tied to the alleged scheme.
“We were actually able to get back nearly $14 million of his ill-gotten gains,” he said.
Court documents also allege that Williams transferred $1.2 million to his son.
He is further accused of buying property in Peoria and Waddell and spending about $200,000 on designer merchandise.
The investigation involved AHCCCS, Homeland Security and the IRS, according to Lum.
The $14 million recovery stands out because fraud cases often involve money that has already been scattered, spent or hidden by the time authorities move in. Here, prosecutors say they were able to recover a significant share before it disappeared completely.
Case Fits Into A Much Larger Medicaid Fraud Crackdown
Lum placed the Williams case within Arizona’s broader fight against large-scale Medicaid fraud.
The state has spent years dealing with fraud tied to sober living homes and behavioral health providers.
According to the report, Arizona’s Medicaid system has been defrauded by roughly $3 billion through the broader sober living scheme.
Earlier in September, Rita Anagho was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for her role in billing AHCCCS for $69 million.
She was also ordered to pay $55 million in restitution.
Courchaine said federal authorities are treating these cases far more seriously than they once did.
“For too long, these cases, you could kind of get away with a slap on the wrist, a fine and then be on your merry way,” he said.
“We’re not seeing that anymore.”
That shift in enforcement is significant. Large fraud schemes can drain public health programs quickly, and when the money is diverted toward luxury purchases instead of patient care, the impact reaches well beyond one defendant.
Prior Convictions And New Charges
Lum also noted that Williams has a prior criminal history.
From 2003 to 2011, he served a prison sentence following convictions involving marijuana violations, weapons misconduct and illegal control of an enterprise.
That history is relevant because prosecutors say Williams concealed those prior felony convictions by listing his son as the owner of the health care business.
Williams now faces 11 federal counts tied to health care fraud and money laundering.
Each count could carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison if he is convicted.
FOX 10 said it contacted Williams and his public defender for comment but had not received a response.
The case remains unresolved, and the allegations will still have to be proven in court.
For now, the contrast is hard to miss: a $5.5 million mansion, a $300,000 Rolls-Royce and designer purchases on one side, and federal prosecutors on the other saying the money came from services that were never provided.
Lum’s report captures why the case has drawn so much attention. The alleged fraud was not hidden behind a modest lifestyle. According to investigators, much of the wealth was displayed openly, even as the billing records were raising questions behind the scenes.
Ed spent his childhood in the backwoods of Maine, where harsh winters taught him the value of survival skills. With a background in bushcraft and off-grid living, Ed has honed his expertise in fire-making, hunting, and wild foraging. He writes from personal experience, sharing practical tips and hands-on techniques to thrive in any outdoor environment. Whether it’s primitive camping or full-scale survival, Ed’s advice is grounded in real-life challenges.
