TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Levy County Sheriff’s Office arrested a woman for organized fraud and fraudulent use of personal identification information to defraud a Medicaid provider. Carolyn Ausherman allegedly forged fraudulent Medicaid employee service logs, defrauding the Medicaid program out of more than $15,000.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “The Medicaid program provides necessary medical services to our most vulnerable citizens. To purposefully defraud this taxpayer-funded program for personal benefit is a gross injustice and exploitation of the patients dependent upon the care provided by Medicaid. I am confident my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit will continue to work diligently to hold accountable anyone who attempts to defraud the Medicaid program and taxpayer dollars.”
According to the investigation, Ausherman entered into an agreement with an employee of a Medicaid provider wherein Ausherman used the employee’s name to submit forged and fraudulent service logs to the Medicaid provider. The service logs submitted by Ausherman claimed that the employee provided caregiving services to the Medicaid recipient, a disabled adult. The investigation revealed that the employee never provided services to the disabled adult. The Medicaid provider issued paychecks to the employee that were then cashed and split with Ausherman.
To view the redacted PCA, go to http://myfloridalegal.com/
Ausherman faces one count of organized fraud and one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information, both third-degree felonies punishable up to five years in prison. The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit will prosecute the case through an agreement with the State Attorney’s Office for the Eighth Judicial Circuit.
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The Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is funded through a grant totaling $26,329,510 for Federal Fiscal Year 2021, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. The Federal Share of these funds is 75% totaling $19,747,136. The State Matching Share of these funds is 25% totaling $6,582,374, and is funded by Florida.
