Woman sentenced for Medicaid fraud
Published 5:07 pm Thursday, June 13, 2013
A Suffolk woman has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for Medicaid fraud.
Angie L. Gilchrist, the former owner of A-Z Alpha Omega In Home Personal Care Service LLC, will be on supervised probation following her release from prison, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Gilchrist pleaded guilty to the charges on Feb. 19.
According to evidence presented in court, between October 2008 and October 2012, Gilchrist filed about 385 false claims for reimbursement with the Virginia Medicaid Program, a health care program for indigent people that is jointly funded by the federal and state governments.
The company was authorized to provide respite care for people whose normal caregivers need a break. But Gilchrist’s fraudulent claims represented that the company had provided such care to 38 Medicaid recipients when it had not actually done so.
As a result, Gilchrist obtained health care payments totaling $294,713 to which she was not entitled. U.S. District Senior Judge Henry C. Morgan Jr. ordered her to make restitution for the full amount.