Three women charged in Medicaid fraud scheme after claiming imprisoned woman provided healthcare services
Jan. 9, 2023 (DENVER) – Attorney General Phil Weiser today announced that three women were charged in a Medicaid fraud scheme in which they claimed one provided home healthcare services to the others from prison.
An investigation by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Colorado Department of Law found that on or between Aug. 1, 2020, and June 6, 2022, Stephanie Hudgins, 50, Quinetta Hunter, 40, and Bobby Hunter, 68, filed claims and received Medicaid reimbursement for home care services that did not occur. Hudgins and Bobby Hunter claimed that Quinetta Hunter provided care for them when she in fact was, and remains, in the custody of the Colorado Department of Corrections at the La Vista Correctional Facility in Pueblo.
“Not only does taking advantage of the state’s Medicaid system place the vital services it provides at risk, but such a theft can threaten trust of healthcare providers,” Weiser said. “We will continue to hold accountable those who exploit our Medicaid system.”
According to the arrest warrant and affidavit filed in Denver District Court, Quinetta Hunter was formerly on the payroll of a Northglenn-based home care business that provided Medicaid-funded home services to eligible recipients. According to the investigation, all three women worked together to submit falsified work timesheets and cash checks under Quinetta Hunter’s name, and then to pocket money paid by the business out of Colorado Medicaid funds. The total value of the theft is $134,235.25.
All three are charged with violation of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, a class two felony; money laundering, a class three felony; conspiracy to commit money laundering, a class four felony; theft, a class three felony; conspiracy to commit theft, a class four felony; forgery, a class five felony; and conspiracy to commit forgery, a class six felony.
The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is dedicated to protecting the integrity of the system that provides healthcare to the most vulnerable Coloradans. It accomplishes this through the investigation and prosecution of Medicaid provider fraud as well as the investigation and prosecution of the abuse and neglect of Medicaid clients in non-institutional settings as well as the abuse and neglect of patients in institutions that receive Medicaid dollars. To report potential Medicaid fraud, click here or call (720) 508-6696.
The filing of criminal charges is a formal accusation that an individual committed a crime under Colorado laws. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
###