CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Federal prosecutors say a Charlotte woman has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for orchestrating an $11 million Medicaid scam involving false medical claims and identity theft.
U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose announced Thursday that 49-year-old Cynthia Harlan also must reimburse Medicaid $3.1 million.
A federal jury convicted Harlan last July of health care fraud conspiracy, making false statements, aggravated identity theft and obstructing the investigation.
Her co-defendant, 38-year-old Claude McRae of Hamlet, was sentenced Wednesday to more than seven years in prison for health care fraud conspiracy. He must repay $1.6 million.
Prosecutors say Harlan used a network of accomplices between October 2012 and August 2013 to bill Medicaid for mental health services never provided. The scheme involved made-up diagnoses, treatment plans, doctors’ notes and dates of services.
