Criminals are well aware that Medicaid fraud can be a serious money-maker, and they don’t appear deterred by the consequences. A press release published by the U.S. Attorney General’s office details how members of a Medicaid fraud ring in North Carolina would stop at nothing to cover their tracks, and now four of them are serving multiple years behind bars.
According to the press release, the members of this ring worked at a business that purported to specialize in Medicaid reimbursement and the operation of mental health clinics. (That’s quite a broad array of services for just one clinic to offer.)But it actually was just a fraud factory with co-conspirators for employees, who spent their days concocting Medicaid patient records for fake companies, so they could submit fake claims for reimbursement. (“Honey, did that rash really warrant a CAT scan?”) Eventually, it got to the point when one person was fabricating files while another was destroying them, in a feeble attempt to keep their stories straight in the face of investigators.
All in all, the group attempted to obtain $1.6 million in fraudulent Medicaid reimbursement claims, but all have been caught. Two will serve at least two years in prison and together must pay $370,372.70 in restitution. Another was sentenced to 28 months in prison and must pay back $352,565.69. A fourth will serve 33 months in prison and must repay Medicaid $392,159.81. All four will each serve three years of probation, following their release from prison.
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