Home care aide providers convicted for defrauding Medicaid funds

Two women were convicted by Illinois State Police earlier this month for vendor fraud stemming from two separate investigations.

The investigations conducted by ISP’s Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau revealed that 43-year-old Monica Brown and 51-year-old Cassandra Miller both defrauded Medicaid funded programs administered by Illinois state agencies, according to a statement from state police.

The women worked as home care aides providing assistance to individuals who were unable to provide for themselves, the statement said. ISP’s investigation uncovered that Brown and Miller were providing fraudulent time sheets for services they were not actually administering.

Brown had billed for services as a home care aide to a person who had been deceased for two and a half years, ISP said. She was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay $30,822 of restitution.

Miller had falsified provider time sheets between August 2015 and April 2016, ISP said. She was sentenced to four years of probation, 50 hours of community service and a restitution of $5,039.85.

Brown, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to the charges Feb. 16 in Cook County and Miller, of Decatur, pleaded guilty Feb. 21 in Macon County, ISP said.

“Unfortunately this type of fraud is something we continue to see all too often,” stated ISP Director Leo P. Schmitz. “There are limited funds and resources for individuals who truly need the help, and Medicaid recipients will continue to suffer as a result of criminals who defraud the system. The ISP Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau will continue to aggressively work these cases and work with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office to ensure the people who commit these crimes are prosecuted.”