James Carthron, M.D., a 61-year-old former physician from Saginaw, has been ordered to stand trial in Ingham County’s 30th Circuit Court on 23 counts of Medicaid Fraud—False Claim. The charges were announced by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Each count carries a potential penalty of up to four years in prison and/or a $50,000 fine.
Carthron previously operated PRN Urgent Care in Saginaw, which closed in 2023. He was charged by the Department of Attorney General in August 2025 with allegedly billing Medicaid for services that were not provided on 23 occasions between May 31 and September 27, 2024. The billed services were reported as telephone visits.
“Millions of Michigan residents rely on the Medicaid program for their healthcare services, and we must defend it from fraud and bad actors,” said Nessel at the time of arraignment. “My office will continue to safeguard this program by holding accountable those who seek to exploit Medicaid.”
The case was bound over before Judge Molly E. Hennessey Greenwalt at the 54B District Court on January 15 and is awaiting assignment to a judge in circuit court. No further court dates have been set.
The Health Care Fraud Division (HCFD) of the Attorney General’s office is prosecuting the case. The HCFD serves as Michigan’s federally certified Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and receives most of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant totaling $5,517,524 for fiscal year 2026; the State of Michigan provides the remaining portion.
The Michigan Department of Attorney General functions as the state’s primary legal authority with statewide jurisdiction to protect residents across Michigan through public service initiatives such as handling consumer complaints, issuing scam alerts, supporting crime victims, and addressing issues like human trafficking and expungement opportunities (official website). Dana Nessel currently serves as Michigan’s attorney general (official website).
Officials remind that all criminal charges are allegations until proven otherwise in court; defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty. Booking photos are not released by the department.
