A Colorado woman was convicted this week for felony forgery for submitting fraudulent documents to Medicaid regarding personal health care services provided to her father after he died. It was the second announcement of Medicaid fraud-related convictions made by the Colorado Attorney General's office in less than a week. Here are the details.
* According to the office of Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, 52-year-old Viola Kwong pleaded guilty to felony forgery in Denver District Court on Tuesday. She was sentenced to pay $16,000 in criminal restitution and perform 50 hours of public service. The restitution reflects all of the money illegally received by Kwong.
* Kwong will also be placed on supervised probation for four years, is responsible for all court costs and probation supervision fees associated with her case, and will pay a civil penalty of more than $37,000 to the Colorado Medicaid program, the Attorney General's Office stated.
* The Attorney General's Office stated that Kwong had requested services for her elderly father through a Medicaid program that allows the Medicaid client to direct his or her own home-based medical care.
* Because Kwong's father was too ill to manage his care, Kwong was authorized by the program as his personal representative, in charge of obtaining those services for her father.
* Kwong's father died on July 23, 2010, but Kwong continued to submit documents about personal health care services that were being provided to her father until Nov. 8, 2010.
* Suthers stated that the restitution ordered was "another significant recovery for Colorado's Medicaid program."
* Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing initially referred the case to the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
* Last week, the Attorney General's Office announced the conviction of occupational therapist Cheryl Moss, 47, for felony theft and felony forgery. Moss pleaded guilty to forging treatment records and fraudulently billing the Colorado Medicaid program for services she did not perform.
* Moss agreed to repay the program $54,332, serve 60 days home detention and perform 300 hours of community service. She was also ordered to pay an additional $46,000 to resolve any potential civil issues and to report her conviction to the agency charged with licensing occupational therapists in Colorado.
* According to the Attorney General, Medicaid is health insurance for qualifying low-income, disabled individuals, and children and families. Covered services include hospital care, skilled nursing home care, residential adult family care services, hospice, mental health, dental and eyeglass services. Each state administers its own Medicaid program.
Colorado Woman Billed Medicaid for Dead Father
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Colorado Woman Billed Medicaid for Dead Father
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Colorado Woman Billed Medicaid for Dead Father
