(The Center Square) − A Mississippi couple has been arrested by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation for allegedly defrauding the state’s Medicaid program of more than $162,000 by concealing their marriage, household income and place of residence.

Agents with Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office took 51-year-old Vincent DeLeon and 35-year-old Elina Friedsberg DeLeon, of Carriere, Miss., into custody on Monday. Carriere is near the Louisiana border in Pearl River County.

Arrest warrants issued by the 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish charge both with felony counts of government benefits fraud.

According to affidavits reviewed by LBI agents, the couple moved out of Louisiana around March 2023 but continued receiving Medicaid benefits through mid-2025 by submitting false applications.

Investigators say the DeLeons misrepresented themselves as single, unemployed Louisiana residents with no income, despite evidence showing they were married in July 2022, owned and rented out property in Lacombe, and operated a construction company registered in Mississippi.

State records show Elina Friedsberg DeLeon received over $129,900 in Medicaid benefits she wasn’t entitled to have. Vincent DeLeon, who claimed to be living alone, received an additional $32,700 in benefits during overlapping periods.

The fraud was uncovered after a tip from the Louisiana Department of Health’s Medicaid Beneficiary Fraud Investigations Unit.

The DeLeons were later interviewed by agents at the Mandeville Police Department, where they admitted to willfully omitting income and marital information from their Medicaid applications.

Vincent DeLeon reportedly told agents he was depressed and needed coverage after losing his job at Entergy, where he had worked for 22 years.

In a statement following the arrest, Murrill said, “Whether you’re in Louisiana, Mississippi, or Florida, and you defraud the hardworking taxpayers of Louisiana, we will find you and prosecute you. The days of abusing the system are over.”

The case comes just days after LBI agents arrested another couple from Denham Springs, Keith and Sheryl Duncan, on similar charges involving more than $133,000 in Medicaid fraud.

Last week, a woman was arrested for allegedly defrauding the state’s Medicaid program while running multiple businesses that brought in over $9.5 million.

Agents with Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office arrested 35-year-old Candace M. Taylor on July 28 for government benefits fraud. Investigators say Taylor misrepresented her income and used an alias to qualify for Medicaid from 2020 to 2024.

Despite claiming little to no income, Taylor allegedly spent hundreds of thousands on luxury items — including a Lamborghini, high-end jewelry and cosmetic surgery — according to arrest records.

“Last week we arrested the ‘Medicaid Millionaire’ from Slidell, today we’ve arrested ‘Romeo and Juliet’ from Denham Springs, who kept their marriage a secret to defraud the hardworking taxpayers of Louisiana for over $130,000. We’re not stopping – these funds are for those in need. If you cheat the system, you will be arrested and prosecuted,” said Murrill.

The Mississippi couple’s arrest is the third sting in just seven days.