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Clayton Woman Pleads Guilty to Defrauding North Carolina Medicaid
Lakia Lateefah Washington, 39, a licensed mental health counselor from Clayton, North Carolina, has pleaded guilty to defrauding the North Carolina Medicaid program of over $800,000.
According to the information and evidence summarized in court, Washington was registered with North Carolina Medicaid since 2015 and began fraudulently billing the program as early as January 2018 through her business, L.W. Therapeutics & Consulting, LLC.
Washington received names, dates of birth and/or Medicaid beneficiary numbers of Medicaid beneficiaries for which she paid a small finder’s fee. She would then use that beneficiary data to fraudulently submit claims to Medicaid for services never rendered.
In egregious examples, Washington fraudulently billed Medicaid for over 24 one-hour mental health appointments in a single day; and billed Medicaid for in-person services rendered in disparate locations in Eastern North Carolina within close temporal proximity.
“This defendant stole money from a taxpayer-funded program intended to help individuals and families cover essential healthcare,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “My office will continue to investigate and prosecute these cases of fraud.”
Washington faces up to 10 years in prison and a potential fine. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, is leading the investigation with the assistance of the North Carolina Medicaid Investigations Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Beraka is prosecuting the case.
“Those who fraudulently bill Medicaid for services never actually provided threaten the integrity of this important safety net program, which is designed to provide medically necessary services to some of the most vulnerable individuals in our country,” said Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Beraka and will be heard in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 5:23-cr-00065-BO.
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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