(Rocky Hill, CT) - Three Connecticut residents have been arrested and charged with submitting fraudulent claims to Medicaid.
Inspectors from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney on January 7, 2026 arrested Venice Garner-Moore, Vernon Moore, and Tonya Jackson of Embrace Your Difference, LLC, of North Haven, a business that provides individual and couples counseling, life coaching, groups and workshops.
Venice Garner-Moore, age 43, of East Haven, was charged with Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-122(a)(3), Health Insurance Fraud, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-442, Conspiracy to Commit Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 53a-122(a)(3), Conspiracy to Commit Health Insurance Fraud, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 53-442, Identity Theft in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-129b and Conspiracy to Commit Identity Theft in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and 53a-129b.
Garner-Moore is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and enrolled as a Behavioral Health Clinician provider in the Connecticut Medicaid Program. She was a co-owner of Embrace Your Difference, LLC. The arrest warrant affidavit reports that between December 2020 through April of 2023, Garner-Moore conspired with one or more individuals to use the personal identifying information of Medicaid recipients without consent to submit claims to the State of Connecticut for services that were not provided. She also billed for services performed by unlicensed individuals. The claims submitted contained false, incomplete or misleading information and totaled $29,429.93 in fraudulent claims.
Vernon T. Moore, age 43, of East Haven, was charged with Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-122(a)(3), Health Insurance Fraud, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-442, Conspiracy to Commit Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 53a-122(a)(3) and Conspiracy to Commit Health Insurance Fraud, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 53-442.
Moore was a co-owner of Embrace Your Difference, LLC. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, between January 2021 through April of 2023, Moore was unlicensed in the State of Connecticut and not permitted to perform behavioral health services. Moore conspired with one or more individuals to present claims to the State of Connecticut for services that were not provided. In addition, he provided services while he was unlicensed. These claims submitted contained false, incomplete or misleading information and totaled $8,232.81 in fraudulent claims.
Tonya Jackson, age 59, of New London, was charged with Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-122(a)(3), Health Insurance Fraud, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-442, Conspiracy to Commit Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 53a-122(a)(3), Conspiracy to Commit Health Insurance Fraud, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 53-442, Identity Theft in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-129b and Conspiracy to Commit Identity Theft in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 53a-129b.
Jackson previously worked for Embrace Your Difference, LLC. She was also employed by Family Reentry Incorporated, a court-authorized program facilitator for domestic violence education programs. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, between December 2020 and March 2021, Jackson was unlicensed in the State of Connecticut and not permitted to perform behavioral health services. Jackson conspired with one or more individuals to use the personal identifying information of a Medicaid recipient without consent to submit claims to the State of Connecticut for services that were not provided. She also provided services while she was unlicensed. The claims submitted contained false, incomplete or misleading information and totaled $19,966.08 in fraudulent claims.
Garner-Moore and Moore were both released from custody on a promise to appear and are scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court, Geographical Area No. 7, on January 20, 2026. Jackson was released from custody on a promise to appear and is scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on January 16, 2026. The charges are merely accusations, and all three defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, Health Insurance Fraud and Identity Theft in the First Degree are all classified as B felonies and punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The case was investigated by and will be prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The Unit is grateful for the assistance it received in this investigation from the Connecticut Department of Social Services, Office of Quality Assurance - Special Investigations Division, and the Meriden Police Department.
The Connecticut Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,612,588 for the fiscal year of October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $870,858 for the same fiscal year, is funded by the State of Connecticut.
Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud or abuse in the public healthcare system is asked to contact the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney at (860) 258-5986.