Fort Smith man arrested for obtaining drugs by fraud

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement announcing the arrest of a Fort Smith man for obtaining drugs by fraud:
“On July 15, Matthew Stephen Daniel, 39, of Fort Smith was arrested on one count of Obtaining Drugs by Fraud, a Class D felony. While working as a registered nurse at North Hills Lifecare and Rehab, Daniel allegedly signed out two tablets of a controlled substance from a resident’s prescription supply. However, the resident had already been discharged and transferred to another unit at that time. Although documentation indicated the medication had been administered, the resident did not receive it, and the two tablets were later found to be missing from inventory.

“Registered nurses are duty-bound to care for others, not steal from the sick and vulnerable. My office will continue to hold these bad actors accountable. I commend the exceptional work of our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) for their dedication to protecting our state. And I would also like to thank Prosecuting Attorney for the Fourth Judicial District of Arkansas, Brandon Carter.”
The Arkansas MFCU receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant totaling $4,685,736 for the Federal fiscal year 2025, of which $3,514,304 is federally funded. The remaining 25%, totaling $1,171,432 for State Fiscal Year 2025, is funded by Arkansas General Revenue.