PRESS ADVISORY

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Owner of Castle Medical in Cuthbert Sentenced to Prison for Medicaid Fraud

Eddie Leon Castleberry pled guilty to one count of Medicaid Fraud (O.C.G.A.§ 49-4-146.1) in Randolph County Superior Court on Wednesday, January 11, 2012. Castleberry was the owner of Castle Medical, a durable medical equipment company in Cuthbert, Georgia.

During the time period from May 10, 2007, to June 16, 2010, Castleberry repeatedly billed the Georgia Medicaid program for durable medical equipment and diabetic supplies that were never delivered to the recipients. Once he obtained the Medicaid number of a recipient requiring a piece of equipment, Castleberry billed that person’s number for numerous pieces of equipment not ordered by the physician and not delivered to the patient.

Castleberry was sentenced by Judge Ronnie Joe Lane to two years in prison followed by eight years on probation.  He was also ordered to pay $120,000.00 in restitution to the Georgia Department of Community Health, the agency that administers the Georgia Medicaid program. 

Senior Assistant Attorney General Nancy Allstrom prosecuted the case on behalf of the State of Georgia. The case was investigated by Investigator Shakethia Morgan, Investigative Auditor Cliff Finney, Nurse Investigator Beth Teague and Criminal Analyst Tish Murray of the Georgia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Investigator Bill Bruce of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Georgana Cannon of the Georgia Department of Community Health assisted in the investigation.