Convictions for Defrauding Medicaid

Illinois State Police (ISP) officials have announced the felony convictions of Monica Brown, age 43 from Chicago, and Cassandra Miller, age 51 from Decatur, for Vendor Fraud on charges stemming from two separate investigations.

Brown pled guilty on February 16 in Cook County and Miller pled guilty on February 21 in Macon County. Two separate investigations conducted by the ISP Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau (MFCB) revealed that Brown and Miller both defrauded Medicaid funded programs administered by Illinois state agencies.

Brown and Miller both worked as home care aids providing assistance to individuals who were unable to provide for themselves. The investigations revealed that Brown and Miller were providing fraudulent time sheets for services they were not providing.

(BROWN)

The investigation into Brown’s actions determined that she had billed for services as a home care aid to a subject who had been deceased for 2½ years. Brown was sentenced to three years of probation and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $30,822.

The investigation into Miller’s actions determined that she had falsified provider time sheets between August 7, 2015, and April 5, 2016. Miller was sentenced to four years of probation and 50 hours of community service. Miller was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $5,039.85.

(MILLER)

“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,”

"The defendants defrauded a critical state program that is under tremendous strain," Attorney General Madigan said. "Vulnerable residents of Illinois rely on home care workers. We will continue to prosecute individuals who abuse this program."

Felony Convictions Captain Brian Ley, Commander of the ISP MFCB, serves as a member of Governor Rauner's Health Care Fraud Elimination Task Force. The task force was created in April 2016 to strategically and comprehensively look into fraud, waste, and abuse in taxpayer funded health care systems. This conviction is the culmination of an ISP MFCB investigation and prosecution by the Illinois Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Bureau.