TennCare Fraud Investigation Leads to Arrest of Memphis Nurse Practitioner

MEMPHIS – A Memphis nurse practitioner faces charges of TennCare fraud and theft of property following an investigation by special agents with the Medicaid Fraud Control Division (MCFD) of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

In April 2022, TBI’s MFCD special agents received a fraud referral from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, alleging fraudulent TennCare billing by Valarie Kershaw Berry (DOB 12/19/1980). During the investigation, agents determined that between May 16 and May 20, 2022, Berry was out of the country, yet TennCare was billed for 23 patient office visits and/or prescriptions during that time.

In March, TBI agents secured an arrest warrant charging Berry with twenty-three counts of TennCare Fraud and one count of Theft of Property $10,000-$60,000. Berry was taken into custody on March 4 and booked in the Shelby County Jail. She has been released on her own recognizance.

The charges and allegations referenced in this release are merely accusations of criminal conduct and not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.

NOTE: The TBI’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $11,616,724 for federal Fiscal Year 2025-2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $3,872,240 for Fiscal Year 2025-2026, is funded by the State of Tennessee.