Man gets prison for faking disability in DHS scam

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A Salem man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to his role in scamming more than $175,000 from the Oregon Department of Human Services by pretending to be disabled.

The Statesman Journal reports that 53-year-old Eddie Wagner admitted to working with Dustin Hensley, 23, of Salem, on a scheme to defraud the Medicaid program, which is meant to serve Oregon’s most vulnerable residents.

According to court records, Wagner pretended to be a severely disabled individual and claimed to DHS that he needed round-the-clock care paid for by Medicaid.

Hensley, who claimed to provide that care, had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making a false claim and three counts of first-degree aggravated theft in October and was sentenced to one year and one day in prison.