Maryland Woman Indicted by Federal Grand Jury for D.C. Medicaid Fraud
Indictment Alleges Transportation Company Billed for Services Not Provided
| U.S. Attorney’s Office April 15, 2010 |
WASHINGTON—Lois Diane Fant, 60, of Laurel, Maryland, was indicted today by a federal grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia on charges of health care fraud and false claims, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.; Shawn Henry, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Charles Willoughby, District of Columbia Inspector General; and Nicholas DiGiulio, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS - OIG) Philadelphia Region.
The 12-count indictment alleges that the defendant was the president and owner of a nonemergency transportation company. The defendant enrolled her company as a “provider,” able to provide services to D.C. Medicaid recipients. According to the indictment, from January 2003 to June 2005, the defendant billed for services which were not provided to D.C. Medicaid recipients and thus tricked Medicaid into paying her company approximately $148,600 for services which were not performed.
If convicted of the charges, the defendant faces a possible prison term of 12-18 months. In announcing the indictment, U.S. Attorney Machen, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Henry, D.C. Inspector General Willoughby, and HHS Special Agent in Charge DiGiulio commended the special agents of the Washington Field Office of the FBI; Special Agent Cindy Sheedy of the Washington D.C. office of HHS-OIG; former AUSA Roy Austin; former AUSA Ronald Sharpe; AUSA James Mitzelfeld; Jacqueline Schesnol, Deputy Director of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; D.C. Office of the Inspector General and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney;, and auditor Clark Geiger, also from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. They also commended Paralegal Specialists Maggie McCabe and Carolyn Cody, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.