Maurice Sharpe Pleads Guilty to Medicaid Fraud Scheme

Waterbury man Maurice Sharpe, 44, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of health care fraud, admitting he helped orchestrate a scheme to defraud Medicaid of more than $1.6 million by billing for mental health services never rendered. Sharpe, who served as office manager of Family First Community Support Services, LLC, waived indictment and entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport.

The scam centered on behavioral health services, a Medicaid-covered program designed to assist low-income Connecticut residents with mental health and counseling care. According to court documents, Sharpe, his mother Patricia Lafayette, and an unnamed associate teamed up with Anne Charlotte Silver, a licensed clinical social worker who owned Silver Counseling Services, LLC. They conspired to bill Medicaid using Silver’s provider number for psychotherapy services allegedly performed by her—when in reality, the services were either delivered by unlicensed personnel or not provided at all.

Sharpe admitted in court to submitting hundreds of fraudulent claims to Medicaid, including those listing therapy sessions for his own children, nieces, and nephews that never occurred. He also falsified patient records to fabricate the appearance of legitimate treatment. Under the scheme, Silver kept 25 percent of the illicit payouts while the remaining 75 percent went to Lafayette and her co-conspirator. All billing was routed through Family First, the Torrington-based agency formed in February 2011.

Lafayette and Silver have already pleaded guilty to their roles in the fraud and await sentencing. Both admitted to their part in siphoning over $1.6 million from the state’s Medicaid program. The investigation, still ongoing, was led by the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon and Auditor Susan Spiegel. The agencies involved are part of the Medicaid Fraud Working Group, a multi-agency task force that includes the FBI, Connecticut Department of Social Services, Department of Public Health, and others. The group meets regularly to identify fraud trends and coordinate takedowns of health care scams.

Sharpe faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. No sentencing date has been set. Authorities urge anyone with information about suspected health care fraud to call 1-800-HHS-TIPS. The federal crackdown on Medicaid abuse continues to pick up steam across Connecticut, with this case marking one of the most extensive behavioral health fraud prosecutions in recent years.