Markita Barnes was sentenced on March 17 to 121 months in prison for orchestrating a healthcare fraud scheme that stole more than $2.3 million from a Medicaid program intended to help at-risk pregnant women and mothers with young children, according to an announcement by Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
The case highlights concerns about the impact of fraud on public benefit programs and the resulting reduction in services available to those most in need. The sentencing follows Barnes’s conviction by a federal jury in November 2025 on multiple charges, including healthcare fraud, false statements related to healthcare matters, violations of the anti-kickback statute, obstruction of a healthcare fraud investigation, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.
Chief United States District Judge Pamela Pepper said during sentencing that Barnes’s actions contributed to diminished public trust and reduced availability of the defrauded benefit program. Judge Pepper noted that due to widespread fraud, Wisconsin has scaled back this Medicaid benefit so significantly that it is now largely unavailable to those who require it most. She explained that the lengthy sentence 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 her prison term, Barnes was ordered to forfeit $2,361,799.17 and pay restitution in the same amount. Schimel said: “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… This is a strong message to other fraudsters that we are coming for them, and they will be punished.”
FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Alan Karr said: “Markita Barnes devised a scheme in which she defrauded Medicaid of millions of dollars at the expense of at-risk mothers and children… The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to combat healthcare fraud and root out those who steal from the American people.” Attorney General Josh Kaul added: “The defendant’s appalling conduct undermined the ability of vulnerable individuals to get support… This outcome demonstrates how seriously government benefits fraud is taken.”
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation along with units from the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
