Minnesota has charged 18 people in connection with an alleged scheme to bill the state's Medicaid program for services not provided.
According to an Aug. 29 news release from the Minnesota attorney general's office, MN Professional, a personal care agency, allegedly billed Medicaid for more than 25,000 hours of services not provided. These fraudulent bills amounted to over $1.6 million in fraudulent claims. Two owners, two managers and a biller at the agency were charged Aug. 29.
MN Professional also billed for more than $7.8 million in personal care services not properly supervised by a nurse or other professional as required by law, the attorney general alleged. The owners of the agency also allegedly hid their profits through a check-cashing scheme, sometimes cashing checks in employee's names, leading the employees to receive artificially inflated W-2 forms that made it appear the received income from MN Professional that they did not.
A total of 18 people have been charged in the alleged scheme, including seven people who served as recruiters, office managers and personal care assistants. According to the attorney general, six people were previously charged in connection with the scheme, with five pleading guilty. The $9.5 million Medicaid fraud investigation is the largest in Minnesota history, according to the attorney general.