Sandra Jalowiec, Health Care Fraud, Pennsylvania 2008

Avoca woman Sandra Jalowiec, 43, has been charged with health care fraud in a criminal information filed in U.S. District Court in Scranton yesterday.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Jalowiec allegedly engaged in a scheme and artifice to defraud Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania between January 2008 and May 2014.

The charges stem from an investigation initiated in June 2014 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Jalowiec is accused of defrauding Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania by forging prescriptions in the name of a licensed medical doctor. The prescriptions were fraudulently written by Jalowiec for pain medications, and Blue Cross was then billed for the forged and fraudulent claims.

The government has filed a plea agreement in the case, which is subject to the approval of the Court. As part of the agreement, Jalowiec will be required to pay restitution for the loss amount.

The maximum penalty under the federal statute for this offense is 10 years' imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The Judge will consider and weigh a number of factors when determining the sentence, including the nature, circumstances, and seriousness of the offense, the history and characteristics of the defendant, and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public, and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational, and medical needs.

Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski.

Mandatory Facts: Defendant: Sandra Jalowiec, Crime: Health Care Fraud, City/State: Avoca, Pennsylvania, Date: Yesterday, Sentence: 10 years imprisonment (maximum penalty), Fine: Not specified, Loss Amount: Not specified.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/avoca-woman-charged-health-care-fraud