A Bloomfield man, SHAWN TYSON, 55, has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in a health care fraud scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Tyson was a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (LADC) with an office located at 330 Main Street in Hartford. He submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid for psychotherapy counseling sessions that were not provided by him or Thelma “Wendy” Epps, who had been suspended as a provider by the Connecticut Medicaid program in 2018.
From November 2019 to April 2023, Tyson and Epps defrauded Medicaid by submitting claims for services that falsely represented that Tyson had personally provided the services to Medicaid patients.
In order to conceal the scheme, Tyson provided fraudulent patient records in response to an audit of his claims performed by the Medicaid program in October and November 2022.
SHAWN TYSON pleaded guilty on June 21, 2024, and was released on a $15,000 bond. He is required to report to prison on April 10.
Judge Kari A. Dooley ordered Tyson to pay restitution of $670,960.72 to Medicaid, which is jointly and severally owed by Epps and Dennis Tomczak, another licensed counselor involved in the scheme.
This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Social Services.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon.
SHAWN TYSON was sentenced to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, and three years of supervised release, for health care fraud.
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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