New developments have happened in the case concerning a disgraced northwest Arkansas businessman who is facing four felonies for Medicaid Fraud and Non-Financial Identity Fraud committed on four separate dates in last 2017 and early 2018.
The latest posting on Arkansas Court Connect indicates that Anthony Christopher committed Medicaid Fraud, a Class A Felony, on December 17 of 2017. The new information also revels the three separate Non-Financial Identity Fraud violations were committed on May 1, 2017, March 1, 2018 and May 17, 2018.
The listing also shows a notation for an arrest warrant being issued on August 31 of this year, but it is unclear of that is a new warrant or a continuation of the warrant that was originally issued March 17 of this year.
The latest action in the case, after the review hearing to determine the validity of the charges was continued twice and finally cancelled, resulted in the decision to fast track the event to a jury trial.
The case has been delayed a number of times over the past twenty-months, and on the day of the originally filing (February 5, 2020), Christopher's legal team requested a "sitting" with the judge assigned to the event, District Judge Wayne Gruber.
In the latest filing information, the case has apparently been reassigned to 5th Division 6th Circuit Judge Wendell Griffin. Jennifer Louise Corbin has replaced or is working with George Jegley for the Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney office as the prosecutor.
The charges against Christoper emanate from his ownership of Absolute Pediatric Therapy in Bentonville and events detailed in the original criminal information in the case. The investigation revealed over $38,000 in improper billing and a number of improprieties with the way certain paperwork was filed and handled.
You can read the complete text of the original warrant information by clicking HERE.
Christopher allegedly "sold" Absolute Pediatric Therapy to another former employee in the midst of the investigation and the clinic reopened under the name of Emerge Pediatric Therapy.
A whistle blower originally reported Christoper to officials, which incredibly led to a kangaroo court proceeding in front of judge Xollie Duncan which led to the whistle blower being hit with a ludicrous libel and slander judgement for over $3 million dollars. That forced the former employee into bankruptcy, and Christopher actual bought the appeal to that bankruptcy.
The whistle blower is currently involved in legal proceeding to get the rights to her appeal returned and the judgement overturned in light of the fact that Christopher was actually arrested for the crimes she reported.
The whistle blower had to serve ten days in jail for contempt of court for not producing a cell phone she maintains was stolen from her car the night before the original court proceeding.
Christopher, who also was the center of a proceeding in which the former wife of his then husband filed for adjustments to the custody conditions of her two sons, was forbidden from contact with those two children because of allegations of abusing them mentally and criticizing the mother's religious beliefs.
That relationship apparently soured, and Christopher is now involved with an "alternative" night club in Eureka Springs that features drag shows on a regular basis.
That became a point of controversy when it was revealed that Christopher was part of the "family" of the Legacy Pre-School in Bentonville, supposedly owned by his mother, after one of the nightclub employees announced the intention of starting "family friendly" drag queen shows.
Today in Fort Smith has also learned that Christopher is an active participant in the Eureka Springs drag queen scene. Four separate sources have provided us with the accompanying photo of Christoper (Stage name: Demonic Diva: The Messiah of Eureka Springs). The picture is reported to be Christopher posing with the entertainment director of his nightclub "Ginger Styles.
"Styles" identified Christopher as being the person in the picture on a social media post on September 8 of this year.
This is a picture of Christopher posing in a picture taken of the Legacy Preschool staff and "family" last year
Christopher has had a number of other legal problems over the past few years, including a court proceeding after a real estate partnership soured, being the focus of a change in the custody of the children of his then-husband and that man's former wife, allegations of refusing to pay his employees in a proper fashion, and allegations that he is using his mother as a front to acquire a liquor license for his alternative nightclub in Eureka Springs.
Once a new trial date has been set and published for the felony charges in the Medicaid/Non-Financial Identity Fraud case, Today in Fort Smith will update this story.
