RHODE ISLAND OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
MEDICAID FRAUD CONTROL AND PATIENT ABUSE UNIT DIRECTOR
SPECIAL ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL
CRIMINAL DIVISION
PAYGRADE 8742 ($133,863 – $152,434)
Or commensurate with experience
April 28, 2026 – May 12, 2026
The Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General is seeking an experienced attorney with significant healthcare fraud enforcement experience to lead the Office’s Medicaid Fraud Control and Patient Abuse Unit (“MFCU”). The MFCU Director will oversee the operation and administration of the MFCU while managing, developing, and prosecuting complex criminal and civil enforcement actions related to allegations of Medicaid fraud, patient abuse and neglect, financial exploitation, and drug diversion.
About the Office of the Attorney General: The Attorney General is the state’s top lawyer and law enforcement official, protecting and serving the people and interests of Rhode Island through a broad range of duties. Every day, the Office’s attorneys fight to ensure the public safety of the state’s communities, improve the economic security of its citizens, safeguard the state’s spectacular natural resources, and restore the public’s trust in government. Assistant and Special Assistant Attorneys General represent the people of Rhode Island in civil and criminal matters before trial courts, appellate courts, and the supreme courts of Rhode Island and the United States. The Office is unique among attorneys general offices across the country. Out of fifty states, only two other offices share the same broad criminal mission. The Office’s attorneys prosecute complex and violent crimes but also functionally serve as one of the nation’s largest district attorney’s offices, prosecuting all felonies throughout the state.
About the Medicaid Fraud Control and Patient Abuse Unit: The MFCU is a specialized unit charged with ensuring the financial integrity of Rhode Island’s Medicaid program. The MFCU brings criminal and civil actions against healthcare providers who defraud the Rhode Island Medicaid program. The MFCU also works to protect elderly and disabled Rhode Islanders by investigating and prosecuting criminal and civil cases of abuse, neglect, and mistreatment, and financial exploitation of patients in long-term care facilities and Medicaid members in healthcare settings in the state. The MFCU employs attorneys, investigators, and auditors, who work together to conduct investigations and prosecutions. Possessing both civil and criminal enforcement powers, MFCU uses various state laws, including the state False Claims Act, to bring civil actions and criminal proceedings. The MFCU partners with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to combat and deter fraud, recover taxpayer dollars, and protect the most vulnerable in our society from exploitation and abuse by their caregivers.
The MFCU is annually certified by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The MFCU receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $1,326,428 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2025. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $442,142 for FY 2025, is funded by the State of Rhode Island.
Responsibilities
Duties and Responsibilities: The Director is expected to fulfill the following roles:
- Lead and direct the MFCU by supervising a multidisciplinary team of attorneys, investigators, an auditor, and a case coordinator, ensuring consistent case outcomes and fostering a collaborative, high-performing team environment.
- Oversee complex criminal and civil investigations and prosecutions involving Medicaid fraud, patient abuse and neglect, financial exploitation, and drug diversion.
- Serve as the primary liaison to federal and state agency partners, including but not limited to, the R.I. Executive Office of Health and Human Services; R.I. Department of Health; R.I. Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities, and Hospitals; R.I. Long-Term Care Ombudsman; Managed Care Organizations; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General; Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
- Ensure compliance with all federal and state laws, regulations, and grant requirements governing MFCUs, including performance standards established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Develop and implement strategic priorities, policies, and procedures to enhance unit effectiveness and case outcomes.
- Manage the MFCU’s state and federal funding, including budgeting, grant administration, reporting, and audit compliance.
- Manage case intake, prioritization, and resolution, including participation in high-impact or sensitive matters.
- Review, analyze, and provide guidance on proposed legislation and policy developments; testify before legislative committees as needed.
- Serve as the primary liaison to the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units (“NAMFCU”) Qui Tam Subcommittee; monitor active qui tam matters on behalf of the Unit and facilitate the timely resolution of settlements; and participate, as needed, in global teams during the intake, investigation, litigation, and settlement stages.
- Participate in specialized national training programs focused on Medicaid fraud enforcement and leadership development for unit directors.
Qualifications
Eligibility: The successful applicant must have a law degree from an accredited law school and be an active member in good standing of the bar of any jurisdiction. If not a member of the Rhode Island Bar, the candidate must be eligible for admission to the Rhode Island Bar and prepared to sit for the bar exam.
Qualifications: Eight to ten years of litigation or complex investigations experience is preferred. Prior leadership experience in criminal or civil healthcare fraud enforcement is required. Strong candidates will have familiarity with healthcare fraud statutes, Medicaid programs regulations, and qui tam/False Claims Act matters, as well as experience working with federal and state partners on complex, multi-agency investigations. The position of Director will require strategic leadership skills, engagement with state and federal stakeholders, organization and financial management skills, and a demonstrated ability to both envision and build on an organizational level. Candidates must possess sound judgment, the ability to evaluate and resolve cases with minimal guidance, anticipate legal issues, demonstrate leadership qualities, and exhibit substantial interpersonal skills. Applicants must also have superior legal research and writing skills, excellent communication and advocacy skills, and the capacity to function at a high level in a demanding environment.
Application Process
Applicants should submit a (1) cover letter summarizing why you are interested and describing the skills and abilities you possess that will enable you to succeed in this position, (2) resume, (3) list of three references, and (4) a writing sample to:
Aida Gomez
Director of Administration
Office of the Attorney General
150 South Main Street Providence, RI 02903
agomez@riag.ri.gov
Equal Opportunity Employer: The Attorney General’s Office is stronger, more credible, and more capable when its employees bring diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives to their work. The Office encourages all qualified applicants from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, veterans, LGBTQ individuals, and persons with disabilities to apply.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, disability, or covered veteran status.
Other Information: Finalists will be subject to a full background investigation including reference checks. All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of the background investigation, receipt of letters of good standing from each Bar in which the applicant is a member, and membership in good standing with, or admission into, the Rhode Island Bar. In certain limited circumstances, applicants may be hired pending temporary or full admission.
