An Anniston, Alabama man was sentenced on April 2 to 54 months in federal prison for health care fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama. Hasan Jermel Pulliam, age 54, was also ordered to pay $718,967.20 in restitution to the Alabama Medicaid Agency and will serve three years of supervised release after his prison term.
The sentencing follows a joint investigation by state and federal authorities into fraudulent billing practices that diverted funds from Medicaid. Officials say such crimes take resources away from patients who rely on these programs.
“Health care fraud diverts limited resources away from the patients and families who depend on programs like Medicaid,” said Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. “This sentence holds the defendant accountable for abusing his position of trust and sending false claims to obtain money he was not entitled to receive. Our office will continue to work closely with our federal and state partners to protect taxpayer-funded health care programs from fraud and abuse.”
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said, “This sentence reflects our commitment to protecting taxpayer resources and upholding the rule of law in Alabama. I commend our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their excellent work on this case, and I thank our federal partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and HHS-OIG for their collaboration in holding Mr. Pulliam accountable for defrauding Alabama taxpayers of over $700,000. We will continue this collaborative effort to root out fraud and ensure justice is served.” Kelly Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge at HHS-OIG added: “Health care providers who fraudulently bill Medicaid for services not rendered and exploit personal information for their own gain will be held accountable. HHS-OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to safeguard the integrity of Medicaid and other federally funded health care programs.”
According to court records, Pulliam worked as a child and family therapist enrolled as an Alabama Medicaid provider since October 2018. He obtained referrals containing sensitive beneficiary information but later submitted fraudulent claims using that data without consent between October 2018 through November 2023.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the Program Integrity Unit at Alabama Medicaid Agency, which first identified questionable billing activity before referring it onward for further investigation by state prosecutors’ Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) in Montgomery along with HHS-OIG investigators based in Birmingham.
Pulliam pleaded guilty on October 25, 2025.
Assistant United States Attorney Joel Feil prosecuted the case.
