Provider of Home Health Care Services Pleads Guilty to $630,000 Medicaid Fraud

NORFOLK, VA—Janice W. Holland, 42, of Suffolk, Virginia, pleaded guilty today in Norfolk federal court to health care fraud, alteration of records, and aggravated identity theft.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli made the announcement after Holland’s plea was accepted by United States District Senior Judge Robert G. Doumar.

Holland was indicted on May 24, 2012 by a federal grand jury. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for health care fraud, and 20 years and $250,000 for alteration of records when she is sentenced on January 22, 2013. In addition, Holland will receive a mandatory term of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft that will run consecutively to the term imposed by the court on the other charges.

According to a statement of facts filed with her plea agreement, Holland owned and operated A Caring Hand Home Health Care Services Inc., a business located in Suffolk that was authorized to provide respite care to Medicaid recipients. Respite care is designed to provide temporary, substitute care for a Medicaid recipient that is normally provided by the family or another unpaid primary caregiver of the recipient. These services are provided on a short-term basis because of the emergency absence or need for routine or periodic relief of the primary caregiver. Between January 2008 and October 2011, Holland filed approximately 939 false and fraudulent claims with the Virginia Medicaid program, representing that respite care had been provided by her company to 30 Medicaid recipients, when in fact no such care had been provided. She filed these claims using, without authority, the recipients’ names, dates of birth, and Medicaid identification numbers. As a result, Holland obtained health care benefit payments in the approximate amount of $630,000, to which she was not entitled. She also altered and falsified her office records to conceal and cover up her false billings.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Office of the Virginia Attorney General, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Alan M. Salsbury and Special Assistant United States Attorney David W. Tooker are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.