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Arizona case alleges $12.89 million in Medicaid payments was diverted from Phoenix hospital
A complaint says three AHCCCS payments intended for Phoenix Children’s Hospital were sent to a Wells Fargo account allegedly controlled by Juan Carlos da Cunha Tcachman. The 56-year-old faces two felony charges and had not been arrested as of Oct. 20, 2026.
PHOENIX — Arizona prosecutors allege that $12.89 million in state Medicaid payments meant for Phoenix Children’s Hospital was diverted to a bank account controlled by Juan Carlos da Cunha Tcachman, who faces two felony charges.
A direct complaint filed in Maricopa County Superior Court accuses Tcachman, 56, of fraudulent schemes and artifices and theft of control of property, both Class 2 felonies. He had not been arrested as of Oct. 20, according to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, which said it could not comment further because the case and investigation are ongoing.
The complaint says the alleged scheme began in July 2026, when AHCCCS — Arizona’s Medicaid program — received a fax with a letter purporting to be from Wells Fargo. The letter claimed Phoenix Children’s Hospital had changed its bank account effective July 1, court records say.
After a staff member spoke by phone with someone identified as “Michelle,” AHCCCS approved a change to the electronic transfer information, prosecutors allege. Three payments of about $4.29 million each were then sent to the account. The total was $12,891,725.10, some of which has been recovered, according to the complaint.
Investigators say the account’s holder and signer was Tcachman, who opened it using a District of Columbia passport. Court records describe multiple large withdrawals in August and September.
During an undercover contact on Oct. 3, prosecutors say, Tcachman confirmed his identity and said he handled all activity in the account himself. He reportedly said he had expected payments from clients but did not know they would come from a government agency. He also said the large deposits related to an investor he had met online, according to the complaint.
Investigators reviewed surveillance images of cash withdrawals at a Wells Fargo branch in Miami and said they believe the person shown is Tcachman, based on a comparison with his passport photo.
The case follows separate charges in Arizona alleging a similar effort to redirect public health-care funds. Prosecutors accuse Joao Luiz Malago, 66, of using forged bank letters and impersonated executive communications to divert $458,407.08 in AHCCCS payments intended for the Mayo Clinic. The Attorney General’s Office said Malago was apprehended in Florida and is expected to be returned to Arizona.
Prosecutors are seeking warrants in both cases. The allegations against both men remain accusations, and the charges have not been proven in court.