Louisiana couple hid marriage to defraud Medicaid

BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) – Keith and Sheryl Duncan from Denham Springs were arrested by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation for defrauding Medicaid of over $133,000 by hiding their marriage.

The couple allegedly underreported their income to receive Medicaid benefits, presenting false information about their marital status and household income from November 2021 to October 2024.

Attorney General Liz Murrill stated, “Last week we arrested the ‘Medicaid Millionaire’ from Slidell, today we’ve arrested ‘Romeo and Juliet’ from Denham Springs, who kept their marriage a secret to defraud the hardworking taxpayers of Louisiana for over $130,000.”

Agents with Attorney General Liz Murrill’s Louisiana Bureau of Investigation arrested Keith and Sheryl Duncan pursuant to arrest warrants issued by the 19th Judicial District Court on charges of Government Benefits Fraud.

The couple was booked without incident at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

Sheryl Duncan is facing 1 count of Government Benefits Fraud with a bond set at $5,000, while Keith Duncan faces 3 counts of Government Benefits Fraud with a bond set at $12,000.

The Louisiana Bureau of Investigation received a criminal referral from the Louisiana Department of Health regarding the allegations against the Duncans.

The investigation into the couple’s fraudulent activities is ongoing.

The arrest of the Duncans highlights ongoing efforts by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation to prosecute those who defraud government programs, ensuring that benefits are reserved for those truly in need.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.