Substance Abuse Counselor Pleads Guilty to Federal Health Care Fraud Charge
| U.S. Attorney’s Office March 13, 2013 |
David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Alan Emmett Bradley, 57, of Norwalk, Connecticut, and Ocoee, Florida, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to one count of health care fraud.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Bradley, a certified alcohol and drug abuse counselor, obtained the Medicaid identification numbers of various Medicaid clients and used the identification numbers to submit hundreds of claims to Connecticut’s Department of Social Services. The claims alleged that Bradley performed 75- to 80-minute individual psychotherapy sessions to these Medicaid clients at his office in Norwalk. Hundreds of these counseling sessions did not occur and, for many of them, Bradley was actually living and attending school in Florida.
The Connecticut Medicaid program is a joint federal-state program designed primarily to finance the provision of medical services to the indigent. It is administered in Connecticut by the Department of Social Services and is also supervised by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service.
Through this scheme, Bradley defrauded the Connecticut Medicaid program of $151,898.75.
Bradley was arrested in Florida on May 17, 2012. He has been detained since November 29, 2012, after he was found to have violated certain conditions of his pretrial release.
Judge Bryant has scheduled sentencing for June 5, 2013, at which time Bradley faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael Ahearn, Assistant United States Attorney David Sheldon, and Auditor Kevin Saunders.
U.S. Attorney Fein encouraged individuals who suspect health care fraud to report it by calling the Health Care Fraud Task Force at 203-777-6311 or 1-800-HHS-TIPS.