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12/06/2022

Meriden Woman Charged in Scheme to Defraud Medicaid

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

(Rocky Hill, CT) – A Meriden woman who worked as a personal care assistant was arrested today and charged with billing Medicaid for personal care services in excess of what services she provided.
 
Kenisha T. Swain, age 43, of Lincoln Street, Meriden, 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 Health Insurance Fraud and Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community.
 
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, from January 11, 2021 to November 13, 2021, Swain submitted time sheets for personal care assistant services that were not performed. Investigation revealed that Swain was billing Medicaid for almost double the number of hours she actually worked. By submitting fraudulent timesheets, Swain stole $9,144.69 from the Medicaid program.
 
Swain was employed under the Personal Care Assistance Waiver (PCA) program, which is a federal and state funded Medicaid program administered by the Department of Social Services that provides funds to allow people with disabilities to hire assistants for daily care, thus enabling the individuals to remain at home instead of being placed in a health care facility.
 
Swain was released on a $20,000.00 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court, G.A. No. 14, on December 13, 2022. The charges are merely accusations and she is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
 
Health Insurance Fraud is an unclassified felony punishable by up to 5 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.
 
The case will be prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The Unit is grateful for the assistance it received in this investigation from the state’s Department of Social Services’ Office of Quality Assurance and the Rocky Hill Police Department.