Woman Pleads Guilty to Medicaid Fraud

A woman was recently sentenced in Superior Court after pleading guilty to Medicaid fraud. T.C. of Anchorage, 54 years old, was charged with several counts of fraud after an investigation into the death of an elderly woman she was caring for. T.C. was working as a personal care assistant under Medicaid and was attending several elderly individuals in their homes. She shared responsibility for the woman who died, S.C., with the woman's son who was also a personal care assistant. The Medicaid program was set up to make it so elderly people could remain living at home and have the help they needed rather than having to live in a nursing home. Personal care assistants turn in a time sheet periodically to show what hours they worked and then would be sent a check. Authorities became suspicious of fraud when S.C. was found deceased in her home and it appeared that she had not been cared for to the extent that T.C. had been billing. There were baby gates set up in doorways to keep the elderly woman inside and there were other indications of neglect as well such as unused medication that should have been dispensed to her. In looking over T.C.'s time sheets it was found that she and the woman's son, J.C., had double billed Medicaid for caring for S.C. In one instance it was reportedly discovered that T.C. had billed time while she was travelling out of the country. Another instance allegedly showed that she billed for over 24 hours of work time in a single day. She was charged on numerous counts of fraud including charges for allegedly defrauding Medicaid of nearly $100,000. She pled guilty to one count of medical assistance fraud, a class C felony, as part of a plea agreement. The judge ordered a one and a half year suspended sentence, five years probation and restitution for the amount she defrauded Medicaid. Get the help of a criminal defense attorney today if you have been charged with a serious state or federal offense.

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Being charged with a crime can be frightening. You probably have many questions and are very worried about your future. The Law Offices of Steve Wells is here to help and if you become a client, it may be possible to get the charges against you reduced or dismissed. Contact the firm now to schedule a free case evaluation.