Dale Henson, 53, and his wife Zoila Henson, 53, both of Chandler, Arizona, were arrested on Wednesday for fraudulently billing the Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System and for fraud involving receipt of COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds. The couple was charged earlier this month by the federal grand jury in a 58-count indictment.

The indictment alleges that the couple used their medical billing company to bill AHCCCS for services not actually rendered. AHCCCS is primarily federally funded, and it provides healthcare programs for Arizona’s low-income residents. The couple is alleged to have submitted $1.2 million in fraudulent bills to AHCCCS over a 9-month period in 2019-2020, and then to have used some of the proceeds to purchase a $1.3 residence in Gilbert, Arizona. The indictment also alleges the couple lied in their applications for COVID-19 pandemic-related loans and used the proceeds of the loan funds for personal expenses, such as the purchase of a residence in Mexico, where Zoila Henson is a citizen.

The charges include healthcare fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. A conviction for healthcare fraud or wire fraud carries a sentence of up to 20 years, a conviction for money laundering carries a sentence of up to 10 years, and a conviction for aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory, consecutive 24-month prison sentence – in addition to hefty maximum fines for each offense.