Chicago, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the Illinois State Police (ISP) today announced that a Roscoe man was charged with Medicaid fraud after billing the state for more than $60,000 in personal assistance services he did not provide.
Steven A. Schwartz, 26, originally from Roscoe, Ill., was charged in Winnebago County with one count of vendor fraud, a Class 1 felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison; two counts of theft, each a Class 1 felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison; and forgery, a Class 3 felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Schwartz’s bond was set at $50,000, and a hearing was scheduled for Sept. 27.
Madigan alleged that between July 2010 and January 2016, Schwartz submitted fraudulent timesheets to the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Division of Rehabilitation Services for services he claimed to have provided as a personal assistant to two children with autism. An investigation found Schwartz billed Medicaid approximately $64,012 for personal assistant services he did not provide. During the time Schwartz claimed the children were in his care in Illinois, they were actually residing in Wisconsin.
“Personal assistants provide essential services to Illinois residents, and it is unacceptable that the defendant abused the system for his own benefit,” Madigan said.
The case was investigated by the ISP Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and referred to Madigan’s Medicaid Fraud Bureau for prosecution.
“Investigating fraud, abuse, and neglect of medical providers involved in the Medicaid Program rests with the ISP Medicaid Fraud Control Unit,” said Captain Brian Ley. “The Unit takes great pride in holding those accountable who steal from funds allocated for citizens of Illinois who are the most vulnerable.”
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 Attorney General Anna Leonard is handling the case for Madigan’s Medicaid Fraud Bureau.
Individuals are encouraged to call the Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud Hotline at(888) 557-9503 to report suspected fraud in the Medicaid system.
IllinoisAttorneyGeneral.gov
