Who Is Linda Thomas?
The person behind Gateway of Willamette Valley...
When Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced criminal charges against Gateway of Willamette Valley in Corvallis last month, along with a list of other Medicaid fraud cases being investigated in the state, many readers, including us, were left asking the same question. Who is Linda Thomas?
Despite operating a developmental-disability services organization for years, Thomas has maintained a remarkably small public footprint. Unlike most local business owners or nonprofit leaders, she has never appeared in the news, served on public boards, or maintained much of an online presence.
She oversaw a company that provided employment and day services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout Benton and Linn counties. Now she is on the wrong side of one of Oregon’s most significant Medicaid fraud prosecutions.
According to Thomas’ LinkedIn profile, her career in the developmental-disability field stretches back many years. Before launching Gateway, she worked as a Program Manager for Bridges Enterprise, LLC, another Corvallis provider serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Like Gateway, Bridges Enterprise is also an LLC, with a home address, one Google review, no website, and very little public information available. It was not named in the lawsuit.
In May 2016, Linda Thomas left Bridges and became CEO and Executive Director of Gateway of Willamette Valley, LLC. She described the organization’s mission simply as “We provide employment and day services for the I/DD community in Benton and Linn Counties.”
Public records indicate Gateway of Willamette Valley was already participating in Oregon’s Medicaid provider system by at least May 2020, showing the organization had been serving clients for several years before the conduct alleged by prosecutors began.
For staying out of the public eye so well, her LinkedIn profile paints a picture of someone highly invested in community service. Among the causes she lists as important are animal welfare, children’s issues, education, civil rights, human rights, health, poverty alleviation, environmental stewardship, economic empowerment, disaster relief, arts and culture, and science and technology.
Those interests stand in sharp contrast to the allegations now before the court.
Gateway primarily provided employment and day-support services for adults, programs funded largely through Oregon’s Medicaid system. For many people in Benton and Linn counties, these services play an important role in helping adults with disabilities develop job skills, participate in community activities, and build independence.
The criminal investigation has resulted in two separate cases, one against Thomas personally and another against the company itself. LLC protection has its limitations. An LLC is a special business structure that offers liability protection of a corporation. Now Thomas is on the hook personally.
In State of Oregon v. Linda Sue Thomas (Case No. 26CR33195), prosecutors have charged Thomas with two counts of Aggravated Theft in the First Degree, five counts of Theft in the First Degree, and seven counts of Making False Claim for Health Care Payment.
According to the charging documents, prosecutors allege the offenses occurred between January 2024 and March 2025 and involved payments made by the Oregon Department of Human Services. The information references dozens of DHS payment run numbers that investigators say are connected to the alleged false claims.
Gateway itself is charged separately in State of Oregon v. Gateway of Willamette Valley, LLC (Case No. 26CR33199). The company faces seven felony counts of Making False Claim for Health Care Payment. Prosecutors allege the company knowingly concealed or failed to disclose information in order to obtain Medicaid payments to which it was not entitled. The alleged conduct spanned multiple billing periods over approximately fifteen months.
At this stage, the allegations remain just that… allegations. Thomas and Gateway have been charged, but neither has been convicted, and both cases remain pending.
Our review of publicly available records found no previous criminal convictions, no verified bankruptcy filings, no significant civil lawsuits outside of the current criminal proceedings, no political campaign activity, and no prominent civic leadership roles.
For now, the criminal filings leave many questions unanswered. How much Medicaid funding did Gateway receive during its years of operation? How many clients relied on its services? What first prompted investigators to look at the company’s billing practices? Those answers will emerge as the criminal cases move forward.
There is a larger issue here. In terms of responsibility for overseeing publicly funded care. How companies get approved to submit claims… the claims process itself… and oversight or auditing of those claims. In Oregon, all of the new cases stemmed from investigations conducted by the state’s 22-person Medicaid Fraud Unit.
At the press conference announcing the cases, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said, “At its core, combating Medicaid fraud is about fighting for working families, protecting vulnerable Oregonians, and holding bad actors accountable when they take advantage of taxpayer dollars.”
Of all the cases uncovered statewide in this investigation, you know it's not all of them. Things get missed. Resources are limited. Medicaid is a vital service, and there are more people out there taking advantage of a system designed to help disabled people… a system that is supported by taxpayer dollars.
If you have any information you believe would help the public better understand this case, until further details emerge… feel free to contact us at editor@corvallisnow.com. We welcome both on-the-record and confidential conversations.
This article was written by Brian Lindensmith, a contributor to The Corvallis Inquirer. Feel free to send us your stories or articles to publish at: editor@corvallisnow.com
Do you have a story for The Inquirer? Email: editor@corvallisnow.com
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