ABINGDON, VA—A mother and daughter who operated a business that provided oversight to personal care aides caring for elderly and disabled individuals, pled guilty today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon to healthcare fraud.

Connie Robbins, 59, of Sugar Grove, Virginia and Stephanie Dawn Robbins, 37, of Marion, Virginia, both waived their rights to be indicted this morning and pled guilty to a one-count Information charging them with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud.

“The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services offers services to Medicaid recipients to allow those with serious health issues to avoid entering a nursing home and to receive critical medical care in the comfort of their homes. These defendants succumbed to greed and took advantage of the elderly and the disabled for their own financial benefit,” Acting United States Attorney Anthony P. Giorno said today. “Protecting important social programs like Medicaid is a paramount concern to law enforcement and my office will continue to work with the state Attorney General and our federal and state law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute individuals who defraud the system for their own selfish purposes.”

“Healthcare fraud of this kind wastes taxpayer money and weakens the safety net for our fellow Virginians who truly need assistance,” said Attorney General Mark R. Herring. “My nationally-renowned Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and our federal partners will continue to pursue these cases of fraud and abuse wherever we find them.”

“Having structured programs in place providing the elderly and sick options about their care is critical to effective healthcare in this country. The defendants falsified documents and neglected the needs of their patients. The FBI will continue to investigate allegations of healthcare fraud, to ensure patients who rely on Medicaid and other programs have confidence they will be taken care of and they will not incur additional expenses as a result of criminals defrauding the system,” said Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Richmond Division.

According to evidence presented at today’s guilty plea hearing by Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant United States Attorney Janine Myatt, Stephanie and Connie Robbins operated Robbins CD Services, a Consumer Directed Service Facilitator (CDSF) service provider. CDSF service providers are hired by Medicaid recipients who are eligible for a waiver that allows them to avoid moving into a nursing home and instead receive critical care in their homes.

The only two employees at CD Robbins Services were Connie Robbins, a registered nurse, and her daughter, Stephanie Robbins, who served as the office manager. Between October 2008 and August 2013, Connie Robbins created false supporting paperwork that documented home face-to-face visits with patients that never occurred. In her role as office manager, Stephanie Robbins billed Virginia Medicaid for the face-to-face home assessments that she knew never occurred. Approximately 35 percent of the home assessments billed by Robbins CD Services and paid by Medicaid never occurred.

At sentencing, each defendant faces a maximum possible penalty of up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000. The defendants have also agreed to pay $137,106 in restitution.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for the Virginia Office of the Attorney General with the assistance of the Department of Medical Assistance Services. Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant United States Attorney Janine Myatt is prosecuting the case for the United States.