BRAZEN Medicaid Fraud: 400-Mile Ghost Rides

A Colorado woman allegedly turned her family into a million-dollar Medicaid cash machine by billing taxpayers for hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical transportation rides that never happened.

Story Snapshot

Ashley Marie Stevens allegedly billed over $1 million to Colorado Medicaid through her company Armistead Twin Rides between July 2022 and February 2023
More than $400,000 was fraudulently billed for phantom rides for Stevens herself and her family members with no corresponding medical appointments
Stevens faces 23 federal charges including wire fraud, health care fraud, and money laundering for allegedly using proceeds to fund luxury travel and vehicles
A parallel case involves Wesam Yassin who allegedly billed Medicaid $3.3 million for fake rides, including $165,000 after beneficiaries died

When Medical Rides Become Joy Rides

Ashley Marie Stevens operated Armistead Twin Rides, a company contracted to provide non-emergency medical transportation for low-income Medicaid beneficiaries who needed rides to doctors, therapists, and other health services. Federal investigators discovered that between July 2022 and February 2023, Stevens allegedly transformed this taxpayer-funded lifeline into a personal ATM. The scheme’s audacity lies in its simplicity: bill Medicaid for rides that never occurred, then pocket the money. Stevens allegedly billed more than $400,000 specifically for transporting herself and family members to medical appointments that federal investigators say never existed.

The Anatomy of a Medicaid Transportation Scam

The alleged fraud extended beyond phantom family rides. Federal prosecutors claim Stevens billed an additional $150,000 for non-existent rides or trips unrelated to medical care. Perhaps most brazen were the impossible journey claims: over $450,000 billed for rides exceeding 400 miles per day per patient, distances that investigators found rarely corresponded to actual medical services. The transportation program Stevens exploited exists to help vulnerable Coloradans access healthcare when they lack reliable transportation. Instead, prosecutors allege she used it to finance luxury purchases including international travel and a high-end vehicle, converting funds meant for the medically needy into personal luxuries.

Colorado’s Growing Medicaid Fraud Problem

Stevens faces six counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of health care fraud, and six counts of money laundering. Her case represents part of a disturbing pattern in Colorado. Wesam Yassin, 42, of Douglas County, faces similar charges for allegedly billing Medicaid $3.3 million through his company Sama Limo between March 2022 and October 2023. Yassin’s alleged scheme included $165,000 in fraudulent billing for rides supposedly provided to beneficiaries after they died. These cases follow a 2023 prosecution where three Colorado women billed Medicaid $134,235 for home healthcare services allegedly provided by Quinetta Hunter while she was imprisoned at La Vista Correctional Facility from August 2020 through June 2022.

The recurring nature of these frauds exposes a systemic vulnerability in Colorado’s Medicaid transportation oversight. Non-emergency medical transportation fraud has proliferated nationally because verification systems struggle to confirm whether rides actually occurred. Drivers can claim they transported patients hundreds of miles while those patients never left their homes. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, whose Medicaid Fraud Control Unit prosecuted the 2023 case, emphasized that such fraud threatens trust in healthcare providers and diverts resources from vital services. The joint federal-state Medicaid program funds transportation services with 75 percent federal dollars and 25 percent state contributions, with Colorado receiving over $5.3 million in federal grants for fiscal year 2026.

Why These Frauds Keep Happening

The transportation program operates on trust with minimal real-time verification. Providers submit billing claims documenting patient names, pickup and drop-off locations, mileage, and appointment details. Medicaid processes payments based on these submissions. Without GPS tracking, appointment cross-referencing, or systematic audits, fraudsters exploit the gap between claimed services and actual delivery. Stevens allegedly understood this weakness perfectly, billing for 400-mile daily trips that would require patients to spend entire days in vehicles traveling to appointments investigators say rarely existed. The fraud continued for eight months before detection, during which time over $1 million flowed from taxpayer coffers to Stevens’ accounts.

The Real Victims of Phantom Rides

Every dollar Stevens and Yassin allegedly stole represents resources unavailable for legitimate Medicaid beneficiaries. Combined, these two cases alone involve approximately $4.4 million in fraudulent billing. Colorado Medicaid serves the state’s most vulnerable populations: low-income families, elderly residents, and disabled individuals who depend on reliable transportation to access dialysis, cancer treatments, physical therapy, and routine medical care. When fraud drains program funds, legitimate providers face payment delays, beneficiaries experience service reductions, and taxpayers shoulder unnecessary burdens. The social cost extends beyond dollars. These prosecutions erode public confidence in Medicaid’s ability to serve those genuinely in need while protecting against exploitation.

The FBI and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General investigated both cases, working with Colorado Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud, Abuse and Neglect Unit. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Weber is prosecuting Stevens’ case in U.S. District Court for Colorado. Stevens remains innocent until proven guilty, but the indictments signal federal determination to combat Medicaid transportation fraud. Prosecutors will likely pursue asset forfeiture to recover stolen funds while seeking prison sentences that deter future fraudsters. Long-term implications may include mandatory GPS tracking for transportation providers, real-time appointment verification systems, and heightened auditing that could increase compliance costs for honest providers nationwide.