October 11, 2018
Las Vegas, NV – Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt announced that Denise Gallant, 38, of Las Vegas, was sentenced today in a Medicaid fraud case involving the failure to maintain proper documentation for services provided to Medicaid recipients.
Gallant was sentenced for a gross misdemeanor offense of Intentional Failure to Maintain Adequate Records by District Court Judge David Jones. Judge Jones sentenced Gallant to 364 days incarceration, suspended, and placed her on probation for three years. As part of the sentence, Gallant was also ordered to pay $23,607 in restitution and perform 150 hours of community service. The fraud occurred between January 2015 and May 2016.
“These convictions ensure that Medicaid funds available to provide much needed mental health services to Nevada recipients are not being unlawfully siphoned off by unscrupulous Medicaid services business owners,” said Laxalt.
The investigation began after the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) received a referral about potential fraud from the Nevada Medicaid Surveillance and Utilization Review (SUR) unit that Gallant, as the owner of Sister 2 Sister Connection Community Development Corporation dba Center For Life Enhancement, LLC (Center for Life), was billing for services that her agents had not provided to Medicaid recipients. The investigation revealed that Gallant did knowingly submit claims to Medicaid supported by fictitious documentation, including progress notes, for services allegedly provided by Gallant’s agents to Medicaid recipients. The documentation used to substantiate Medicaid claims were false as the electronic signatures of the purported service providers on the progress notes reflected dates that were after the claims had already been submitted to Medicaid.
The MFCU investigates and prosecutes financial fraud by those providing healthcare services or goods to Medicaid patients. The MFCU also investigates and prosecutes instances of elder abuse or neglect. Persons convicted of Medicaid fraud may also be administratively excluded from future Medicaid and Medicare participation. Anyone wishing to report suspicions regarding any of these concerns may contact the MFCU at 702-486-3420 or 775-684-1100.
The case was prosecuted by Steve Sidhu, Senior Deputy Attorney General.
To view the criminal information, click here. To file a complaint with the Office of the Nevada Attorney General, click here.
GALLANT, DENISE
(Photo courtesy of the Las Vegas
Metropolitan Police Department)
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