Tipsheet

Milwaukee Woman Sentenced to Ten Years Behind Bars for Medicaid Fraud Scheme

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  March 19, 2026 8:30 AM

We have shared several stories lately about people getting busted and going to prison for Medicaid fraud, and that excludes the massive fraud taking place in Minnesota. In Texas, a man was sentenced to 7.5 years for a nearly $60 million fraud scheme; in Pennsylvania, three people — including a dentist — were found guilty in a $30 million fraud scam; and in Michigan, a Dearborn Heights man pleaded guilty in a $3.2 million fraud case.

We can add another story to that ever-growing list. This time, it's out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where 33-year-old Markita Barnes was sentenced to ten years in prison for stealing $2.3 million from a Medicaid benefit program for at-risk mothers and children while she owned a prenatal care company.

Here's more from the DOJ:

Following a two-week trial in November 2025, a federal jury convicted Barnes of ten counts of healthcare fraud, three counts of false statements related to healthcare matters, three counts of violating the anti-kickback statute, one count of attempting to obstruct a healthcare fraud investigation, one count of money laundering, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

In announcing the sentence, Chief United States District Judge Pamela Pepper discussed the substantial negative impact Barnes’ fraud scheme, and others like it in the Milwaukee area, has had not only on public trust in government benefit programs, but on the availability of the benefit program she defrauded. Chief Judge Pepper noted that, because of significant fraud surrounding this benefit program, the state of Wisconsin has scaled back the benefit to such an extent that it is largely not available to the women who actually need it.

Chief Judge Pepper also explained that the significant sentence of incarceration she imposed was necessary to account for the seriousness of Barnes’s conduct and to send a message of deterrence to others considering engaging in fraud against hard-working taxpayers.

In addition to the 121-month period of incarceration, Chief Judge Pepper issued a money judgment of forfeiture in the amount of $2,361,799.17 and ordered Cruse to pay restitution to Medicaid in the same amount.

“The substantial sentence holds Ms. Barnes accountable for her very serious crimes. She stole limited public resources that were intended for our neighbors most in need of public assistance,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Schimel. “Many people in need will not receive help due to the defendant’s actions. This is a strong message to other fraudsters that we are coming for them, and they will be punished.”

Democrats will tell us, with straight faces, that we simply don't tax the wealthy enough and if we did, we'd be able to afford these welfare programs.

Instead, clean up the fraud and the budget issues would largely solve themselves.

Bingo.

Not a chance.

Josh Kaul is Wisconsin's Democratic Attorney General, who doesn't want the Trump administration to look at our voter rolls or SNAP program.

We can see why.

Yes, they are.

Democrats have a very hard time admitting fraud is bad because they believe that stopping it is somehow racist, as they claimed in Minnesota with the Somali fraud. Allowing the fraud to continue unchecked also gives them the grounds on which to continue raising our taxes and stealing our hard-earned money.