Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Thelma "Wendy" Epps, a 60-year-old substance abuse counselor from Hartford, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for her involvement in health care fraud schemes. U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley handed down the sentence in Bridgeport, which includes three years of supervised release following imprisonment.
Epps was a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor operating at 330 Main Street in Hartford. She became a participating provider in the Connecticut Medicaid program in April 2013 through her entity Miracles to Destiny LLC. However, by July 2018, she was suspended due to credible allegations of fraud. Despite this suspension, Epps continued submitting claims through other means.
In collaboration with Dennis Tomczak, another Connecticut LADC and Medicaid provider, Epps devised a scheme where Tomczak would bill Medicaid for services allegedly provided by Epps using his provider number. In return for these fraudulent claims totaling $330,547.71 between April 2019 and November 2022, Epps paid Tomczak a portion of the proceeds.
When concerns arose about the frequency of claimed services, Epps formed a similar arrangement with Shawn Tyson, another LADC in Connecticut. After assisting Tyson's enrollment as a Medicaid provider listing her office address as his service location, she used his credentials to submit false claims amounting to $663,081.32.
The court ordered Epps to pay restitution of $1,001,058.43 to the Connecticut Medicaid program after pleading guilty on November 8, 2024. She is required to report to prison on March 3 while released on a $50,000 bond.
Both Tomczak and Tyson have pleaded guilty to related charges and are awaiting sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and the FBI with assistance from the Connecticut Department of Social Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon and Auditor Susan Spiegel prosecuted the case.
The U.S Attorney’s Office collaborates regularly with state agencies as part of The Medicaid Fraud Working Group to identify trends indicating fraudulent activity and coordinate efforts effectively.
Individuals suspecting health care fraud are encouraged to report it via hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS.