OKLAHOMA CITY (June 9, 2026) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) secured a conviction this week against a Tennessee counselor and a guilty plea from a Nichols Hills behavioral analyst after investigations of fraud, identity theft and violations of the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act.
Janice Cliver-Dudash, a Licensed Professional Counselor who resides in Ocoee, Tenn., billed Oklahoma Medicaid for behavioral therapy services she falsely claimed to have provided to Oklahomans. She was convicted of Medicaid fraud, identity theft and violating the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act. The scheme was discovered by MFCU’s data mining process.
Cliver-Dudash illegally used Medicaid recipients’ identifying information last year to submit fraudulent bills and then received payments from public funds to which she was not entitled. In some instances, she submitted fraudulent bills for services to deceased individuals.
Last week, she was sentenced in Oklahoma County District Court to a seven-year deferred sentence. She also will serve 50 hours of community service, pay $19,322 in restitution to Oklahoma Medicaid and pay fines and investigation costs.
Maria Dianda, a board-certified behavioral analyst from Nichols Hills, pleaded guilty last week to Medicaid fraud and identity theft. Dianda, who owns Advanced Behavioral Solutions, illegally used Medicaid recipients’ identifying information to submit fraudulent bills for services not rendered across multiple years. In some instances, Dianda submitted fraudulent bills for services during times when she was out of the country. She received a three-year deferred sentence, must pay $65,907 in restitution to Oklahoma Medicaid and pay fines and investigation costs.
"I appreciate the great work of my Medicaid fraud investigative team to recover these funds for Oklahoma taxpayers,” Drummond said. “Our office takes all claims of fraud very seriously and works to hold accountable anyone who takes advantage of the system.”
Dudash’s investigation was handled by Assistant Attorney General Jessica Hampton and Agent Manny Mendiaz. The unit also coordinated with law enforcement partners in Tennessee on the case, which was part of the department’s Operation Sooner Shield this spring. Dianda’s investigation was handled by Assistant Attorney General Candace Arnold and Agent Daniel Shcolnik.
About the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit: The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a federal grant award totaling $4,765,464.00 for federal fiscal year (FY) 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,588,483.00 for FY 2026, is funded by the State of Oklahoma. The federal fiscal year 2026 is defined as October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026.
