Two sisters and 10 of their employees have been indicted after a federal grand jury said they spent years using their home health care companies to defraud the Pennsylvania Medicaid program.
Home health care companies owned and operated by sisters Arlinda Moriarty and Daynelle Dickens received more than $87 million in Medicaid payments for services that were never performed, according to the 22-count indictment. The alleged fraudulent claims came in between January 2011 and April 2017, during which time Moriarty owned Moriarty Consultants, Activity Daily Living and Everyday People Staffing, and Dickens owned Coordination Care.
The sisters and their employees are accused of committing dozens of crimes, including making false Medicaid claims, creating fake employees, misusing customers’ personal information and falsifying documents. The indictment says company employees even submitted claims for customers who were in the hospital, in jail or dead.
“Home health care programs are critical to the ability of patients with serious physical limitations, especially the elderly, to receive the care they need while remaining independent. Those who provide home health care are expected to deliver services honestly,” said U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. “When criminals cheat and steal from these programs, they not only steal from the taxpayers, but they steal from the most vulnerable members of our community.”
All 12 defendants are charged with health care fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud, punishable with up to 10 years in prison or a $250,000 fine. Some also face charges of concealing material facts in relation to a health care matter, punishable with up to five years in prison or a $250,000 fine, as well as aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Additionally, four different defendants face separate charges for their involvement in the conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
Written by Bailey Bryant
Companies featured in this article:
Activity Daily Living, Coordination Care, Everyday People Staffing, Medicaid, Moriarty Consultants
