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Two Rhode Island Individuals Arraigned as Part of National Medicaid Fraud Takedown

Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin today announced that Brittney Lusiak (age 24) and Hailey Lusiak (age 21), both of Woonsocket, were arrested for multiple charges of Medicaid fraud. Both defendants are charged with five counts of medical assistance fraud and one count of obtaining money under false pretenses and were arraigned Tuesday before District Court Judge Robert Pirraglia.

The investigation and arrests were a part of the National Medicaid Fraud investigation announced yesterday by the United States Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Health and Human Services regarding fraudulent overbilling for services that were medically unnecessary or never performed adding up to approximately $900 million.

Both women were the primary care givers for a patient in the Personal Choice Plan. It is alleged that the defendants falsely reported billable hours for time they did not spend caring for their patient. Brittney Lusiak allegedly received $6,390 in fraudulent payments while her sister, Hailey Lusiak, allegedly received $20,800 in fraudulent payments.

Medicaid recipients have the right to receive care in their own homes under the Personal Choice Plan covered by their Medicaid insurance. This is designed to ensure the well-being of elder individuals who wish to reside in their own homes while receiving care from individuals they choose. These individuals are compensated by logging their hours spent taking care of the beneficiary and receiving payment based on the hours they report.

Each defendant was released on personal recognizance of $10,000 on Tuesday. A pre-arraignment conference has been scheduled for August 25, 2016.

The investigation was led by the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud and Patient Abuse Unit, which enforces the laws pertaining to fraud in the state Medicaid program and prosecutes cases of abuse, neglect, or mistreatment of patients in all state healthcare facilities.

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