{KXLG – South Dakota} South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that Pierre woman Sharon Laray Monson, 48, has been charged with six felony counts related to alleged fraud in the South Dakota Medicaid program. Monson has been accused of stealing more than $588,000 in federal and state funds between May 1, 2018 and January 1, 2024, in Pierre's ability as an owner of home nursing.
“The defendant is accused of relying on Medicaid to use people who rely on him to pay for this type of service,” Attorney General Jackley said.
The prosecution includes three counts of illegally obtaining benefits or payments from a medical assistance program, and one count that failed to maintain the necessary records underlying each of the worsening grand theft, perjury state benefits, and Medicaid claims. If convicted on all charges, Monson faces a maximum total sentence of 42 years in prison or county jail.
Monson has not yet appeared in her first courthouse. Like all criminal cases, she is presumed to be innocent under the US Constitution until proven guilty.
The South Dakota Medicaid Fraud Management Unit, which investigated the lawsuit, received 75% of the funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For federal fiscal year 2025, the grant award totals around $1,002,576. The remaining 25% of the unit's funding worth approximately $334,188 for the same fiscal year is provided by South Dakota.
