Press Releases
05/04/2023
Hartford Woman Charged with Defrauding Medicaid
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Rocky Hill, CT) – A Hartford woman was arrested on May 3, 2023 and charged with improperly using the identity of a Medicaid recipient and using that recipient’s identification to obtain medical goods and services for herself.
Ebony Mayo, age 42, of Hartford, was arrested by Inspectors from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney. She was charged with one count each of Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, Health Insurance Fraud, and Identity Theft in the First Degree.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, from March 2021 through October 2021, Mayo utilized the Medicaid number and personal identification of another party to acquire medical treatment and services for herself. Mayo admitted to using the identity and Medicaid card of another to pay for her own medical visits and medications, even though she had her own insurance, in order to avoid co-payments. The investigation revealed that by Mayo causing the fraudulent claims to be submitted, Medicaid paid 93 claims for service amounting to a loss of $15,778.43.
Mayo was released on a $20,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court, G.A. No. 14, on May 16, 2022. The charges are merely accusations and she is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Health Insurance Fraud is a Class B felony punishable up to 20 years in prison. Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community is a Class B felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison, Identity Theft in the First Degree is also a Class B felony punishable up to 20 years in prison.
The case will be prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The Unit is grateful for the assistance in this investigation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General, the Hartford Police Department, specifically Officer Joseph Cullen, and the Wethersfield Police Department.
Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud and 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) 258-5838.