Kristen Connolly, a 56-year-old resident of Jeffersonville, Vermont, has been sentenced in the Vermont Superior Court, Lamoille Criminal Division. She pleaded guilty to multiple charges including misdemeanor abuse of a vulnerable adult, driving under the influence, leaving the scene of a crash, and felony Medicaid fraud.
Connolly was working as an independent mental health and substance abuse counselor and Medicaid provider in St. Albans. She failed to maintain legally required records for therapy services she claimed to have provided from 2019 to 2021. Connolly billed Medicaid for sessions that did not occur.
In May 2022, Connolly was involved in a vehicular incident in Cambridge where she hit a telephone pole and left the scene. When stopped by officers shortly after, she appeared heavily intoxicated. A year later, another accident occurred in Morristown involving Connolly hitting a telephone pole again while heavily intoxicated. At that time, a non-verbal vulnerable adult was present in her vehicle. Following this incident, Connolly falsely billed Medicaid for care she claimed to have provided during these events.
Connolly had previously pleaded guilty to these offenses in September 2024 through a plea agreement with the Lamoille State’s Attorney’s Office. Judge Mary Morrissey presided over the sentencing which resulted in a combined sentence of three to six years; however, only 90 days are not suspended with eight years of probation included. Restitution is also ordered to be paid by Connolly to the Department of Vermont Health Access.
The investigation into Connolly's actions was conducted by several agencies including the Secretary of State’s Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont State Police, Morristown Police Department, and the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU).
Authorities encourage reporting any suspected neglect or abuse cases immediately to local law enforcement or Adult Protective Services at 800-564-1612. Suspected Medicaid fraud can be reported via https://ago.vermont.gov/medicaid-fraud-report-form.
The MFRAU receives significant funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services totaling $1,332,724 for Federal fiscal year FY 2025 with additional funding from the State of Vermont amounting to $444,241 for FY 2025.