SHELBY COUNTY – A Memphis caregiver has been indicted and arrested, following an investigation by special agents with the TBI Medicaid Fraud Control Division.

In July 2024, following a referral from Adult Protective Services, agents began investigating allegations of financial exploitation of vulnerable adults who were residing at a Shelby County care facility. During the course of the investigation, agents developed information that from November of 2022 to July of 2024, Tareka Lashun Smith (DOB 9/3/1980), a supervisor and caregiver, used the bank cards of 21 victims making unauthorized ATM cash withdrawals worth more than $42,000.

On June 26th, a Shelby County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Smith with Financial Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult. On July 1^st, Smith was booked into the Shelby County Jail on a $150,000 bond.

The charges and allegations referenced in this release are merely accusations of criminal conduct and not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.

NOTE: The TBI’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $10,782,912 for federal Fiscal Year 2024-2025. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $3,594,302 for Fiscal Year 2024-2025, is funded by the State of Tennessee.