BALTIMORE COUNTY WOMAN CHARGED WITH FELONY MEDICAID FRAUD

Maryland Attorney General J Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that the Grand Jury for Baltimore County has returned an indictment against Dolores Elaine Scott, 63, of Rebecca Lane, Owings Mills, Maryland charging her with four counts of felony Medicaid fraud and one count of felony theft. Ms Scott was charged with engaging in a scheme and a continuous course of conduct from on or about June 20, 2002 through July 29, 2004 pursuant to which she caused her employer, Comprehensive Nursing Services, Inc., to submit false claims to the Medicaid program by inflating the number of hours that she provided nursing services to a Medicaid recipient. Ms Scott was also charged with stealing money in excess of $500 from the Medicaid program through the use of this scheme. In addition, the Grand Jury charged her with making a specific false representation to the Medicaid program in March 2003, October 2003 and March 2004 by providing a falsified time slip to her employer that indicated in each case that she provided service to a Medicaid recipient with a value in excess of $500 that she did not in fact provide.

Medicaid Fraud that involves more than $500 is a felony and is punishable by up to five years imprisonment and a fine of up to $100,000 or both. The State also has a right to restitution upon conviction and a convicted health care provider is subject to a penalty of not more than three times the amount of the State’s loss and exclusion form the Medicaid program. A person who is convicted of theft in excess of $500 which is also a felony is subject to imprisonment for up to 15 years and a fine of up to $25,000, or both.

An indictment is only an accusation and Ms Scott is presumed innocent of the charges brought against her.

This case was investigated and will be prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office which has the authority to prosecute fraud committed by those who provide services to Medicaid recipients and cases of vulnerable adult abuse and neglect.

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