BRIDGEPORT, Conn — A Bloomfield man waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty in Bridgeport to healthcare fraud, a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut announced on Thursday.
Shawn Tyson, 54, was a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor with an office at 330 Main St. in Hartford, according to prosecutors. From November 2019 to April 2023, Tyson worked with an individual identified in court as “Provider 1” to defraud the Connecticut Medicaid program by submitting false claims for psychotherapy counseling sessions that were not provided by Tyson or Provider 1, prosecutors said.
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Prosecutors added that Tyson and Provider 1 also agreed to submit claims to Medicaid under Tyson’s unique Medicaid provider number for services purportedly provided by Provider 1 that falsely represented that Tyson had personally provided the services to Medicaid patients.
To hide the scheme, in October and November 2022, Tyson provided false patient records in response to an audit of his claims performed by the Medicaid program, according to prosecutors.
The release said that health care fraud carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. As part of his plea, Tyson agreed to pay $670,963 in restitution to the Connecticut Medicaid program, prosecutors said.
Tyson is released on a $15,000 bond pending sentencing, which prosecutors said has not been scheduled.
The case is part of the Department of Justice’s 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action, which the release said is a “strategically coordinated, two-week nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes that resulted in the submission of over $2.75 billion in alleged false billings.”
Prosecutors said the defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to increase their own wealth. The government, in connection with the enforcement action, seized more than $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold and other assets.
People who suspect healthcare fraud should report it by calling 1-800-HHHS-TIPS, prosecutors said.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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