Florida Woman Recruiting Homeless to Pose as Patients Must Forfeit More Than $170,000 Related to Medicaid Fraud
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – (RealEstateRama) — Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit today announced more than $170,000 in fraudulent taxpayer dollars reclaimed from multiple bank accounts owned by Christina Benson, owner of Tranquility Health Care Solutions in Orlando. Benson used Tranquility to recruit homeless men and women to pose as patients and billed Medicaid for services not provided and not warranted. Additionally, Benson allegedly used untrained personnel, some with criminal arrest records, in her scheme.
On March 9, 2016, Benson plead guilty to one count of Medicaid provider fraud, a first-degree felony. Attorney General Bondi’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. The State Attorney’s Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit prosecuted the case. Sentencing is scheduled for June 17, 2016.
Attorney General Bondi’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates allegations of patient abuse, neglect, and exploitation in facilities receiving payments under the Medicaid program. Additionally, the MFCU investigates and prosecutes fraud involving providers that intentionally defraud the state’s Medicaid program through fraudulent billing practices. Medicaid fraud essentially steals from Florida’s taxpayers. From January 2011 to now, Attorney General Bondi’s MFCU has obtained more than $500 million in settlements and judgment.
Contact: Whitney Ray
Phone: (850) 245-0150
Source: State of Florida
