Suffolk home health care services provider pleads guilty to $294,000 in Medicaid fraud

NORFOLK (February 20, 2013) - Angie L. Gilchrist, 57, of Suffolk, pleaded guilty yesterday in Norfolk federal court to health care fraud.

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride made the announcement after Gilchrist's plea was accepted by United States District Senior Judge Henry C. Morgan, Jr.

Gilchrist faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 when she is sentenced on May 22, 2013.

According to a statement of facts filed with her plea agreement, Gilchrist owned and operated A-Z Alpha Omega In-Home Personal Care Service LLC, 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 October 2008 and October 2012, Gilchrist filed approximately 385 false and fraudulent claims with the Virginia Medicaid program, representing that respite care had been provided by her company to 38 Medicaid recipients, when in fact no such care had been provided. As a result, Gilchrist obtained health care benefit payments in the approximate amount of $294,713.00 to which she was not entitled.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Office of the Virginia Attorney General, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Chief Health Care Fraud and Elder Abuse Prosecutor David Tooker from the Virginia attorney general's office and Assistant United States Attorney Alan M. Salsbury are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.