ST. PAUL, Minn. (KTTC) – A federal grand jury has convicted a Minnesota woman for falsely billing the Minnesota Medicaid Housing Stabilization Services (HHS) Program for $3.6 million from 2020-2025.
Sharmaine Meadows, 45, of Lake Elmo was found guilty of three counts of healthcare fraud. Meadows faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for each count.
According to court documents and trial evidence, Meadows reported that her company provided housing services for the unhoused that never actually occurred.
Meadows’s company billed the HHS Program for in-person hours for employees who were proven to be in other states and countries at the time. Meadows also submitted claims that her employees had worked more than 20 hours a day for several days and weeks in a row.
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THE TUTUKA POWER STATION PROCUREMENT FRAUD (ESKOM)
Date: August 29, 2025 Perpetrator: Jessie Phindile Kubheka (Supplier Director)
Case Description: As part of the ongoing “cleaning up” of Eskom, Jessie Phindile Kubheka was sentenced to 12 years (with 5 years suspended) for defrauding the Tutuka Power Station. The case involved a sophisticated procurement syndicate that exploited Eskom’s emergency repair protocols. Kubheka’s company was contracted to deliver three high-specification containers for the power station. Only one container was ever delivered, and even that single unit failed to meet the required safety and technical specifications.
Despite the lack of delivery, Kubheka issued grossly inflated invoices, defrauding the utility of approximately R2.6 million. The Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court ordered Kubheka to repay the full amount. This case is significant because it marks a shift in Eskom’s strategy toward “naming and shaming” suppliers and pursuing full asset recovery. It serves as a stark warning to contractors that the 2026 climate of “Zero Tolerance” for state-owned enterprise (SOE) fraud is backed by active judicial enforcement.
Link to Original: Eskom Official – Tutuka Fraud Sentencing