Two Colorado business owners have been separately charged for fraudulently billing the federal government’s Medicaid program.
The pair ran non-emergency medical transportation businesses in Douglas County and Mesa County. They provided rides for Medicaid patients – most often people without vehicles – to medical appointments or treatments. The service is reimbursed by the federal Medicaid program through its Colorado office.
Forty-year-old Ashley Stevens of Grand Junctions was indicted by a federal grand jury in December. In her case, Stevens is believed to have billed Colorado’s Medicaid office for more than $400,000 in services which, according to federal prosecutors, were rides for herself and family members. Most of those rides did not have corresponding medical appointments, as stated in the indictment. A number of rides which were billed as 400 miles or more in length per patient were also allegedly contrived. The indictment states that Stevens charged Medicaid $450,000 for those rides. Still, another $150,000 was charged for rides did not occur or did not have anything to do with any medical provider or service.
Other documentation from her business, Armistead Twin Rides, was faked, per the indictment. The offenses occurred over seven months beginning in July 2022. Prosecutors claim the fraudulently obtained money was used for travel and the purchase of a luxury vehicle.
The grand jury indictment against Stevens was issued in December 2025. Stevens faces six counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of health care fraud, and six counts of money laundering.
The case against Wesam Yassin, 43, of Castle Rock, parallels much of the Stevens case. For more than a year and a half (2022-23), his business, Sama Limo, also charged six-figure amounts for rides which didn’t happen or didn’t have any medical destination.
Prosecutors allege Wassin billed Medicaid $283,000 for 64 rides for one beneficiary in particular. Notably, $165,000 of the total was charged after that beneficiary had passed away.
Wassin used the Medicaid money to purchase a home, furnishings, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and cosmetic surgery, per prosecutors. He was indicted in January and faces six counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of health care fraud, and eight counts of money laundering.
Both cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. Personnel from the Colorado Medicaid Fraud Abuse and Neglect Unit are assisting staff from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Colorado, with prosecution of the cases.
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