Attorney General Ford Announces Sentencing in Medicaid Fraud and Racketeering Cases

 Defendant ordered to pay $7.5 Million in restitution

Las Vegas, NV – Today, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced that Ariell Olivia Dix, 38, was sentenced as part of a global resolution for her role in multiple Medicaid fraud cases. Between December 2017 and September 2021, Dix engaged in a scheme that included submitting false claims to Nevada Medicaid, unlawfully obtaining and using the personal identifying information of older individuals, and racketeering.

The Honorable District Court Judge Maria Gall sentenced Dix on multiple felony counts, including Submission of False Claims: Medicaid Fraud; Obtaining and Using Personal Identifying Information of an Older Person for an Unlawful Purpose; and Attempted Racketeering. Dix was ordered to pay $7.5 million in restitution, costs and penalties for her role in operating and directing fraudulent companies.

Dix is currently serving a prison sentence in Arizona for unrelated Medicaid fraud offenses. Upon her expected release in 2027, she will be transferred to Nevada to serve her sentence for these convictions.

“Dix willfully and brazenly exploited a program intended to provide care and dignity to Nevada’s most vulnerable citizens,” said AG Ford. “Such deliberate fraud is not only a betrayal of public trust and a theft from taxpayers, but it also strips resources from those in need. My office has zero tolerance for Medicaid fraud and will relentlessly pursue and prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law.”

This case marks Dix’s second Medicaid fraud conviction in Nevada. In June 2020, she was convicted of fraud related to her Reno-based company, Lifetime Assistance, LLC. Following that conviction, Dix was added to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and Nevada Medicaid exclusion lists, prohibiting her from enrolling as a provider. Despite the exclusion, Dix continued her fraudulent activities by using “straw owners” to establish new companies while secretly managing operations and overseeing fraudulent billing practices.

The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) launched the current investigation after receiving referrals concerning Dix’s involvement in multiple behavioral health companies. The investigation revealed widespread fraudulent practices across businesses tied directly to Dix. Companies named in the convictions include:

• Goodness Behavioral Health, LLC 
• Square One Behavioral Health, LLC 
• Paradigm Shift Health Services, LLC 
• Aurtism, LLC 
• Kae’s Cube of Life, LLC

Through these entities, Dix and her associates carried out a Medicaid fraud ring that deliberately submitted false claims, misrepresented qualifications, falsified service authorizations, and exploited the personal identifying information of Medicaid recipients — many over the age of 60 — to defraud the program.

The MFCU investigates and prosecutes financial fraud by those providing healthcare services or goods to Medicaid patients. The MFCU also investigates and prosecutes instances of elder abuse or neglect. The Nevada MFCU receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award. The remaining 25 percent is funded by the State of Nevada, MFCU. Persons convicted of Medicaid fraud may also be administratively excluded from future Medicaid and Medicare participation. Anyone wishing to report suspicions regarding any of these concerns may contact the MFCU at 702-486-3420 or 775-684-1100 or file a complaint online.

This case was investigated by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and was prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Behnaz Salimian Molina.

Review the criminal complaint.

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