November 10, 2021
Las Vegas, NV – Today,Nevada Attorney General
Aaron D. Ford announced that Aaron Williams, 59, of Las Vegas, was sentenced in
a Medicaid fraud case involving falsely billing for Medicaid services allegedly
provided to Medicaid recipients.
Williams pleaded guilty to one
count of Attempted Medicaid Fraud. District Court Judge Crystal Eller sentenced
Williams to 364 days in jail and ordered him to pay more than $98,000 in
restitution, penalties and costs.
“Williams intentionally abused the
Medicaid reimbursement system purely for personal gain,” said AG Ford. “Williams not only committed fraud against Medicaid
and Nevada’s taxpayers, but he also victimized Medicaid recipients who are in
need of vital services, especially during a pandemic.”
The investigation began during the
course of another investigation conducted by the Office of the Attorney
General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) involving Medicaid claims showing
potentially fraudulent billing practices at Aaron Williams Therapy, Williams’
company. The investigation revealed that Williams, a
marriage and family therapist, submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid for
payment and used falsified records to try to support the claims.
In many instances, Williams didn’t
even have any records to support the claims he submitted to Medicaid for
payment. The claims also showed that Williams allegedly provided more than 24
hours of services in a single day, with some days showing he provided more than
70 hours of services in a single day. Additionally, Medicaid recipients to whom
Williams allegedly provided services denied receiving services from him. All of
the fraudulent claims that were submitted to Medicaid for payment listed
Williams as the therapist. The fraudulent conduct followed repeated provider
education notices from Nevada Medicaid, which specifically told Williams that
he was “responsible for submitting valid, accurate claims.”
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. The Nevada MFCU receives 75% of
its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant
award. The remaining 25% is funded by the State of Nevada, MFCU. 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.
This case was investigated by the
Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and was prosecuted by Senior
Deputy Attorney General Behnaz Salimian Molina.
The amended information for Aaron
Williams is attached.
To
file a complaint with the Office of the Nevada Attorney General, click here.
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