Richmond-Area Mental Health Provider's Co-Owner Charged in Alleged $49 Million Medicaid Crisis Services Fraud

Published Oct. 29, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

Crisis services are meant for people in the middle of a mental health emergency, and they are supposed to come from trained, licensed teams. Federal prosecutors say a Richmond-area provider billed Virginia Medicaid as if it were sending those teams, while actually sending one less-qualified worker, and used free hotel rooms to bring in patients who didn't need the care.

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia indicted Mikia Antoneice Noble, 37, of North Chesterfield, Virginia, on Oct. 20, 2026, and she was arrested on Oct. 28, the Justice Department announced [1]. Prosecutors say she took part in submitting more than $49 million in false and fraudulent claims.

Important: Noble has been charged, not convicted. The Justice Department said: "An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law" [1].

How the scheme allegedly worked

According to court documents, Noble was co-owner and chief operating officer of Advancing Communities Everywhere LLC (ACE), a mental health provider in the Richmond area, and also claimed to work for ACE as a mental health professional [1]. ACE purported to provide services to people in acute or significant behavioral health crises but, prosecutors say, did not provide them as billed.

The indictment alleges that Noble conspired with her co-owner, who is not named in the release, to [1]:

1. Bill for teams, send one person. Bill Virginia Medicaid for crisis services supposedly provided by teams of mental health professionals that included a trained and licensed professional, when the services were actually provided by a single low-level, less qualified worker.
2. Use hotel rooms as bait. Pay more than $2 million for hotel rooms offered to Medicaid beneficiaries, allegedly to illegally induce them to let ACE bill for services they didn't actually need.
3. Add licensed professionals' signatures. Falsify medical records by adding signatures of licensed professionals who hadn't taken part in the services.
4. Sign while abroad. Falsify records by adding Noble's own signature, representing that she had taken part in crisis services when, prosecutors say, she was out of the country.
5. Mislead auditors. Lie to Medicaid managed care organizations that were auditing ACE's crisis services.

The alleged conduct ran from January 2022 through April 2026 [1].

The person charged and her status

Mikia Antoneice Noble, 37, of North Chesterfield, Virginia; co-owner and chief operating officer of Advancing Communities Everywhere LLC [1].

• Charges: Conspiracy to commit health care fraud and three counts of health care fraud. Each count carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.
• Indicted: Oct. 20, 2026, Eastern District of Virginia.
• Arrested: Oct. 28, 2026.
• Plea, detention and next court date: Not stated in the release (status pending).

ACE itself is not listed as a defendant in the release. The co-owner is described only as Noble's co-owner and is not named or described as charged.

The FBI Richmond Field Office and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Virginia Office of the Attorney General are investigating. Trial Attorneys Lauren Randell and Zachary H. Ray of the Fraud Division's Health Care Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Day are prosecuting [1].

Why this matters

When a provider bills for a licensed crisis team but sends someone without those qualifications, a person in a mental health emergency may not get the level of care they need. Inducements such as free lodging can also pull vulnerable people into services chosen for billing rather than need. And every false claim drains money from a program that pays for care for low-income Virginians.

Red flags

These are general warning signs of this kind of scheme; not every one is alleged in this case.

• Offers of free hotel stays, gifts or cash in exchange for signing up for services or letting a provider bill your Medicaid.
• Paperwork for visits or services you didn't get, or that lists staff you never met.
• Being told you "qualify" for crisis care when you aren't in crisis.
• A provider asking you to sign blank or pre-filled forms.
• Explanation of benefits or managed care statements showing services you don't recognize.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Don't accept gifts or lodging tied to letting a provider bill your insurance.
2. Review your statements from your Medicaid managed care plan and question anything unfamiliar.
3. Keep notes of who visited, when, and for how long.
4. Report suspected Medicaid fraud to the Virginia Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit or your state's equivalent, or to the HHS Office of Inspector General at 1-800-HHS-TIPS or oig.hhs.gov.
5. Report other scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Case status (as of Oct. 29, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
Mikia Antoneice Noble, 37, North Chesterfield, Va.	U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia	Indicted Oct. 20, 2026 (conspiracy to commit health care fraud, three counts of health care fraud); arrested Oct. 28, 2026; plea and custody status not stated; presumed innocent	[1]

Statuses can change.

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Virginia Mental Health Professional Charged in $49M Medicaid Fraud Scheme," Oct. 28, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/virginia-mental-health-professional-charged-49m-medicaid-fraud-scheme

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