FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Rocky Hill, CT) - A New York City man was arrested this week for his role in a scheme to defraud the state’s Medicaid program.
Esson Gillyard, 26, of Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn, N.Y., was charged Monday with one count each of Larceny in the First Degree By Defrauding A Public Community, Conspiracy to Commit Larceny in the First Degree By Defrauding A Public Community, Health Insurance Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Health Insurance Fraud.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, in 2017, Gillyard was hired to provide home care services to a participant in the state’s Personal Care Assistance program. Instead, he entered into an agreement with the participant to bill the program for services that he never provided. The participant would approve the bogus billings, and when Gillyard received payment, he would split the proceeds with the participant. Between December 2017 and April 2018, the Medicaid program was bilked of $6,495.87.
Medicaid is a federal and state taxpayer-funded program that provides health care to low and no-income individuals. The Personal Care Assistance Program is a federal and state funded Medicaid program that allows eligible participants to hire others to assist with their daily care.
Gillyard was released on a $10,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on December 14, 2020. The charges are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Larceny in the First Degree By Defrauding A Public Community and Conspiracy to Commit Larceny in the First Degree By Defrauding A Public Community are class B felonies punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Health Insurance Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Health Insurance Fraud are unclassified felonies punishable by up to 5 years in prison.
The case will be prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney. The Unit is grateful for the assistance it received in this investigation from the Department of Social Services Office of Quality Assurance.