U.S. Department
of Justice
United States v. E’mon Ambers, et al., Crim. No. 3:26-cr-24; United States v. T’Aisya Squire, Crim. No. 3:26-cr-11
On February 17, 2026, defendants E’mon Ambers, Armone’ Ambers, and TraQuan Brown were charged in a 12-count criminal indictment in Criminal Case No. 3:26-cr-24. Count One of the indictment charges the three defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349; Counts Two through Four charge health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1347; Counts Five through Seven charge aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A; Counts Eight and Nine charge payment of illegal kickbacks, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)(2)(B); Counts Ten through Twelve charge transactional money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957.
The charges arise from the defendants’ alleged participation in a scheme to defraud Medicaid operated through Divine Youth Counseling, LLC, a mental health agency based in Henrico, Virginia. E’mon Ambers, who founded Divine Youth in 2018 and served as the agency’s Chief Executive Officer, is charged in Counts One through Five and Eight through Twelve. Armone’ Ambers, who served as Divine youth’s Program Director, is charged in Counts One, Three, Six, Nine, and Ten. TraQuan Brown, who worked on Divine Youth’s staff and was responsible for claiming to provide Mobile Crisis Response services, is charged in Counts One, Four, Seven, and Eight.
On January 22, 2026, defendant T’Aisya Squire was charged in a single-count criminal information in Criminal Case No. 3:26-cr-11 with making false statements relating to health care matters, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1035(a)(2). Squire worked at Divine Youth as the supervisor of Crisis Stabilization services. Defendants E’mon Ambers, Armone’ Ambers, Brown, and Squire participated in the same scheme. According to the charging documents, between January 2022 and October 2025, Divine Youth submitted more than $11 million in fraudulent claims to Medicaid for mental health services known as Crisis Stabilization and Mobile Crisis. The charging documents allege four primary components of the fraud scheme.
First, the coconspirators falsely claimed that two mental health professionals simultaneously provided services to Medicaid recipients, when in truth, at most a single mental health professional was present for the service. The false claims that two professionals provided “Team Treatment” services caused millions of dollars of loss to Medicaid.
Second, the coconspirators paid more than $470,000 in illegal kickbacks in the form of purchasing hotel rooms for Medicaid recipients. The coconspirators used the hotel rooms to incentivize recipients to obtain Medicaid services from Divine Youth, a practice the coconspirators knew and understood was wrong and unlawful.
Third, the coconspirators engaged in a variety of other fraudulent conduct, including (a) falsely claiming to provide Medicaid services face-to-face in Central Virginia, when in truth and in fact, the defendant was traveling abroad; (b) fabricating progress notes using generative artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT; (c) fraudulently billing Medicaid for impossible and overlapping times of services; and (d) falsely claiming Brown was a Qualified Mental Health Professional when he claimed to provide Mobile Crisis services before April 2024.
Fourth, the coconspirators diverted Medicaid funds for their personal benefit by, for example, purchasing luxury vehicles and clothing. A criminal indictment and a criminal information contain merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Court Documents
United States v. E’mon Ambers, et al., Crim. No. 3:26-cr-24
United States v. T’Aisya Squire, Crim. No. 3:26-cr-11
Victim Information
Pursuant to the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3771, the Department of Justice is required to provide notice to individuals who may have been harmed as a direct result of the criminal offenses of which a defendant has been convicted. In this context, “harmed” is defined broadly and is not limited to monetary loss. This office uses the Victim Notification System (“VNS”) and other methods, including web pages and press releases, to ensure potential victims receive timely notice of public events related to a case. For more information, go to Crime Victims’ Rights Act.
Contact Information
The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia are committed to protecting the rights of crime victims and providing them with information necessary to exercise those rights. We invite those potential crime victims to contact the prosecution through our Victim/Witness Unit to ensure they are notified of important stages of the case. In addition, our Victim/Witness Unit can help make references to agencies that provide other services to witnesses. We suggest that any potential victim fill out the "Potential Victim Form" and submit it to our Victim/Witness Unit. Those who successfully register as potential victims will have access to the Victim Notification System (“VNS”).
The VNS is designed to provide information regarding the case as it proceeds through the criminal justice system. Registered victims may obtain current information about this matter on the Internet at www.Notify.usdoj.gov or from the VNS Call Center at 1-866-DOJ-4YOU (1-866-365-4968) (TDD/TTY:1-866-228-4619; International 1-502-213-2767). In addition, they may use the Call Center or Internet to update their contact information and/or change their decision about participation in the notification program. In order to access VNS, a crime victim must receive a Victim Identification Number (VIN) and Personal Identification Number (PIN) from our Victim/Witness Unit. Again, to register, please complete the "Potential Victim Form" and submit it to the email or mailing address below.
To submit a Potential Victim Form or obtain other assistance, please contact:
Victim/Witness Coordinator
United States Attorney’s Office
919 E Main St, Suite 1900
Richmond, VA 23219
(804)-819-7429
Sarah.Lesniewski@usdoj.gov
Resources
Victim Impact Statements Know Your Rights EDVA
Exercising Your Right to be Heard EDVA
Next Court Date
United States v. E’mon Ambers, et al., Crim. No. 3:26-cr-24
• May 4, 2026 at 9:00 am – Jury Trial
United States v. T’Aisya Squire, Crim. No. 3:26-cr-11
• March 17, 2026 at 10:30 am – Guilty plea hearing