Chicago — (ENEWSPF)–March 3, 2017. Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the Illinois State Police (ISP) today announced that three Metro East residents have been charged with Medicaid fraud for conspiring to bill the state of Illinois for more than $151,000 in personal assistance services that were not provided.
Marcus Brumfield, 24, Amanda Jett, 37, and Deedra Brown, 44, all from the Metro East area, were charged in Madison County with vendor fraud and theft for defrauding the state out of more than $151,000 in Medicaid payments.
Madigan alleged that from November 2010 through January 2016, Brumfield and Jett were personal assistants for a Medicaid recipient. Deedra Brown was authorized to act as the recipient’s power of attorney, and as such approved timesheets for the recipient’s personal assistants. Brumfield, who is Brown’s son, and Jett submitted fraudulent timesheets to the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Division of Rehabilitation Services for personal assistant services they claimed to have provided while the recipient was residing in a nursing home. Brown allegedly approved these timesheets, despite the fact that the recipient was moved into a nursing home in November 2010. Together, the three are alleged to have stolen $151,350.72 in state funds.
“Personal assistants provide essential services for some of Illinois’ most vulnerable residents at taxpayers’ expense. The defendants abused this critical program and need to be held accountable,” Madigan said.
The case was investigated by the ISP Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and referred to Madigan’s Medicaid Fraud Bureau for prosecution.
“When people commit Medicaid fraud, they are not only stealing from the government, they are also stealing from those in need of legitimate health care services,” said Illinois State Police Director Leo P. Schmitz. “The Illinois State Police will continue to aggressively investigate claims of Medicaid fraud. We will also continue to work with Attorney General Madigan’s office to ensure those who commit Medicaid fraud are brought to justice.”
The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Bureau prosecutes criminal and civil cases against individuals who defraud the state’s Medicaid system based on referrals from ISP. Assistant Attorneys General Chris Haddad Scanlon and Steve Swofford are handling the case for Madigan’s Medicaid Fraud Bureau.
Source: http://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov
