FORMER MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING EMPLOYEE INDICTED

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr., announced today that Moses Ige, 44, who lives at the 1200 block of Middleborough Road in Essex, was charged in a criminal indictment with felony Medicaid fraud and felony theft.

It is alleged that from May through November of 2003, while he was employed by a mental health counseling company called Calvary Healthcare, Inc., Ige caused Calvary to submit claims seeking payment from Medicaid for services which Ige knew had not been provided.

The case is being prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. The MFCU conducted the investigation with assistance from the Mental Hygiene Administration (MHA), which suspended payments to Calvary in December of 2003. MHA has been working with the MFCU to root out fraud in its programs, and several cases of possible fraudulent behavior by MHA providers are currently under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office.

While an indictment is only an accusation and all persons are presumed innocent unless proven guilty, a charge of felony Medicaid fraud is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $100,000 fine. Felony theft is punishable by a maximum sentence of 15 years and a fine of $25,000.

An arraignment date has been set in Baltimore City Circuit Court for October 17, 2005.

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