FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Rocky Hill, CT) - A Newtown psychologist and advanced registered nurse (ARPN) pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicaid by billing the government health insurance program for thousands of dollars.
Jeannie Pasacreta, 66, of Abbey Lane, Newtown, pleaded guilty today in Hartford Superior Court to one count of Health Insurance Fraud, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes Sections 53-442/443. In addition, the defendant was ordered to pay $79,418.77 in restitution.
By pleading guilty to a program-related felony, 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 individuals and is financed both by the federal and state governments and administered by the Connecticut Department of Social Services.
An investigation by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney determined that over a two-year period beginning in 2016, the defendant, through her firm Mental Health Services, LLC., billed Medicaid for hundreds of claims for services that were never rendered. Based on patient schedules, Medicaid payment histories, and 15 patients’ recollections, among other information, the investigation concluded that the defendant fraudulently billed the Medicaid program and received $79,418.77 in Medicaid payments that she was not entitled to receive.
The Honorable David P. Gold sentenced Pasacreta to unconditional release as, per the plea agreement, she paid the agreed-upon restitution.
The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit was assisted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Connecticut Department of Social Services Office of Quality Assurance, the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office, and the Rocky Hill Police Department.
Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud or abuse in the public healthcare system is asked to contact the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office at (860) 258-5986.