Many white-collar crimes involve finances whether public or private. Louisiana has its share of white-collar crimes involving fraud. Health care is one area of particular concern by authorities, who often find fraud in Medicare and Medicaid billings. Health-care fraud costs taxpayers and governments considerable money, and for that reason anyone convicted of such fraud is likely to suffer harsh punishment.
In Baton Rouge, a brother and sister, 50 and 49 years old, were recently arrested by East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputies on accusations that they have defrauded Louisiana’s Medicaid program. According to the state attorney general’s Medicaid Fraud Unit, the man claimed to have been an in-home personal care attendant for his sister from November 2013 until January 2014. Authorities discovered not long after that the man was billing Medicaid for services that were never rendered and that his sister signed the service logs verifying her brother’s services before he sent the bills to Medicaid. Further investigation revealed that the woman was providing her own private sitting services to other patients outside her home during the time her brother was claiming to have been providing care to her. The man now faces two counts of Medicaid fraud, and his sister faces two counts of conspiracy to commit Medicaid fraud.
When a person is accused of cheating the system for financial gain, he or she is likely to face severe penalties, including time in prison and heavy fines. The only way for someone to avoid punishment and rebuild a damaged reputation is to fight the charges in court.
Any Louisiana citizen accused of some form of fraud should speak with a legal professional who knows how to effectively navigate this type of case in court. The guidance and support of an experienced professional can make a huge difference in the case.
Source: Knoe.com, “Brother and sister arrested in alleged Medicaid fraud case,” July 9, 2014
