(Rocky Hill, CT) – Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin today announced that the Honorable Tracy Lee Dayton on February 11, 2026 sentenced Darlene Shuff-Porter, also known as Darlene Dailey, age 66, of Middletown, to three years in prison, execution of that time suspended, with five years of conditional discharge for defrauding Medicaid by submitting fraudulent claims for work she did not perform and allowing unlicensed individuals to provide behavioral health services.
The defendant pleaded guilty in New Haven Superior Court on October 20, 2025 to one count each of Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-122(a)(3), a Class B felony, and Health Insurance Fraud, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-442, a Class B felony. The defendant was ordered not to be a Medicaid provider during the period of her five-year conditional discharge. The defendant paid $55,410.69 in restitution the day of sentencing.
By pleading guilty to two program-related felonies, the defendant is also subject to mandatory exclusion as a health care provider to certain federally funded health programs pursuant to federal and state laws and regulations. Medicaid is a government program that provides health coverage to low-income, disabled and elderly individuals, and is financed by both the federal and state governments and administered by the Connecticut Department of Social Services.
An investigation by Inspectors of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney determined that between December 2018 and April 2020, Shuff-Porter, a Licensed Behavioral Health Clinician, and owner of Dailey Professional Counseling Services, LLC, located in Meriden, billed for psychotherapy services that were not rendered. Evidence acquired through an investigation showed that Dailey Professional Counseling Services, LLC was not meeting with clients as reported; however, she was submitting claims to the Department of Social Services for payment. In addition, she was utilizing unlicensed employees to meet with clients and then billing as if licensed qualified services were provided. The investigation concluded Shuff-Porter fraudulently billed Medicaid and received an amount of $55,410.69 in Medicaid payments she was not entitled to receive.
The case was investigated and was prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney. The Unit is grateful for the assistance of the Department of Social Services Office of Quality Assurance, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of the Inspector General, and the New Britain Police Department.
The Connecticut Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,612,588 for the fiscal year of October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $870,858 for the same fiscal year, is funded by the State of Connecticut.
Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud or abuse in the public healthcare system is asked to contact the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney at (860) 258-5986.