Tallahassee Counselor Sentenced for $250K Medicaid Fraud

Tallahassee’s Stephanie L. Fleming and Helen E. Storey have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in a massive Medicaid fraud scheme that siphoned over $250,000 from the state healthcare program.

Fleming, 43, of Waldorf, Maryland, received a three-year sentence followed by three years of supervised release, while Storey, 39, also from Waldorf, was sentenced to two years and one day in prison, with a subsequent three-year supervised term. Both were ordered to pay $219,000 in restitution to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration.

The pair’s convictions stem from a three-day federal bench trial where they were found guilty of health care fraud conspiracy, health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, and false statements. Storey, who owned North Florida Mental Health (NFMH), employed Fleming, who was licensed as a mental health counselor.

According to evidence presented in court, Storey and Fleming improperly obtained more than $250,000 from Florida Medicaid by submitting fraudulent claims through NFMH between April 15, 2016, and December 31, 2017. The scheme involved using identities stolen from patients, many of them children, to file false Medicare claims for services never rendered.

Fleming’s five-year debarment followed a 2016 felony Medicaid fraud conviction in New Jersey. Despite being ineligible as a Medicaid provider, she continued to bill the program under another therapist’s name during her debarment period.

Acting U.S. Attorney Coody emphasized the commitment of federal prosecutors to tackling healthcare fraud and vowed to protect community members and preserve the integrity of federal healthcare programs.