If you’ve been charged with a crime, you should know the problems that can result from the charge. Your reputation and livelihood could be on the line, and fraud charges could get you thrown into prison if you’re convicted. A March 6 report shows how easily the news about allegations of fraud spread to the news.
In the report, a woman from Zachary was accused of defrauding the state’s Medicaid program though her Baton Rouge personal care agency. It’s believed that she stole thousands of dollars and laundered over $100,000. The 36-year-old woman was arrested by federal agents, and now she’s facing serious felony charges.
Although she hasn’t been convicted of any crime, the news has already spread personal information about the woman including her name and where her agency is. If she is found to be innocent, the damage to her reputation may not be reversible. In any case, she’s been charged with seven felony counts including two counts of Medicaid fraud, one count of theft by fraud of $1,500 or more, one count of criminal conspiracy to commit Medicaid fraud, two counts of either filing or maintaining public records that are false, and another count claiming she laundered $100,000 or more.
An arrest warrant was issued for the woman, and it claimed she was billing the Louisiana Medicaid Program for services she never performed. She is even accused of paying one Medicaid recipient monthly kickbacks for signing up for Medicaid services and care through her. Some of the information the agents have claim that she billed Medicaid for services allegedly rendered when she was out of state, and another time, she allegedly billed for a patient who was incarcerated. The woman was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison pending these charges, which include other allegations as well.
Source: The Advocate, “Zachary woman accused of Medicaid fraud” No author given, Mar. 06, 2014