HARTFORD, Conn. — A New Haven woman was sentenced in Hartford Superior Court on Thursday for submitting fraudulent claims to Medicaid for services that were not provided, and for stealing the identity of Medicaid recipients to submit those fraudulent claims, according to the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.
Ethel Bethea, 61, was sentenced to seven years in prison, execution suspended after one year served and five years probation, prosecutors said. She also must pay $38,000 by June 10 and another $63,408 during probation for a total restitution of $101,408.
Prosecutors said Bethea pleaded guilty under the provisions of the Alford Doctrine and was convicted of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community, health insurance fraud, and third-degree identity theft. Under the Alford Doctrine, a defendant disputes specific allegations while admitting there is sufficient evidence to convict them.
According to prosecutors, Bethea also can’t act as a Medicaid provider or provide services to any Medicaid recipient upon her release. Investigators from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney said that in September 2018, Bethea was approved by the state’s Department of Social Services to be a Connecticut Medical Assistance Provider.
As a CMAP, Bethea could provide services as a Behavioral Health Clinician, prosecutors said, and her specialty was being a Licensed Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. Bethea operated her own business, Ethel Beathea Counseling.
Prosecutors said that Bethea submitted hundreds of claims for services provided between September 2018 and October 2019 that were, in fact, never provided. They also say she used the Medicaid identification numbers of multiple people without their consent to submit fraudulent claims and obtain the $101,408 for the false billings.
Bethea claimed to have no income but enrolled as a Medicaid recipient and received personal medical services paid for by Medicaid, 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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