ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Legal Newsline) - An Alaskan company pleaded guilty on Friday to medical assistance fraud following allegations by state Attorney General Michael C. Geraghty's office that employees at the personal care firm participated in a large Medicaid fraud scheme.
As part of the plea, Good Faith Services will repay $1.2 million in Medicaid funds, plus $300,000 in fines. In addition, the corporation must be dissolved and no longer provide Medicaid services.
The attorney general's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit claims that 10 full-time Good Faith employees sent invoices to Medicaid for personal care services totaling $394,257, despite the fact that they were also working in the company's office during the time they said they were with patients.
The company also allegedly billed Medicaid for more than $1 million in services provided by personal care assistants who hadn't received valid background checks, a violation of Alaska Administration Regulations.
Since July 2013, criminal charges related to the case have been filed against 53 people connected with Good Faith. Among them is Agnes Francisco, one of the company owners, who recently pleaded guilty to a single count of attempted medical assistance fraud. He will be sentenced in March.