Bristol woman convicted in fraud scheme

BRIDGEPORT » A Bristol woman was convicted by a federal jury of two-dozen counts of healthcare fraud in a scheme that cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to a release from the U.S. attorney’s office.

Ronnette Brown, 44, of Bristol, was convicted on May 26 of 23 counts of health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

The trial before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport began on May 22 and the jury returned a verdict of guilty on all counts of the indictment on Friday.

According to the evidence at trial, Brown owned and operated WeMPACT, LLC, a social services business with offices in Bristol and Torrington. Between August 2010 and April 2014, Brown billed Medicaid for psychotherapy services that were not performed, according to the statement. In addition to that scheme, Brown separately conspired with

Beverly Coker and another unnamed individual to bill Medicaid for psychotherapy services that represented Coker had performed the services when, in fact, the services were provided by unlicensed individuals, or were not provided at all, officials said in the statement.

According to court documents and statements made in earlier court proceedings, Coker, a licensed clinical social worker, owned and operated New Beginnings Family Center, LLC, in Hartford.

On April 8, 2016, Coker, of Windsor, waived her right to indictment and pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud, admitting that between October 2010 and November 2011, she engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicaid by permitting Brown and another individual to bill Medicaid for psychotherapy services using Coker’s Medicaid provider number. The services were either performed by unlicensed individuals or not performed at all.

Under the scheme, officials said, Coker kept 30 percent of the proceeds, and paid the remaining 70 percent to Brown and the other individual. As part of her plea, Coker admitted to defrauding Medicaid of approximately $214,555 through the scheme, officials said in the statement.

Brown is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 18, and faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each count of health care fraud, and a maximum term of imprisonment of five years on the conspiracy count. She is free on a $100,000 bond since her arrest on May 23, 2016.

Coker awaits sentencing. Three other individuals were charged and convicted of health care fraud offenses stemming from this investigation.

“This conviction is the latest example of the successful efforts of the Connecticut Medicaid Fraud Working Group,” said Connecticut U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly in the statement. “Through that group, federal and state law enforcement and representatives of state agencies combine our efforts to detect, investigate, and prosecute Medicaid fraud through criminal and civil prosecutions.

“In this particular case, federal agents worked alongside our partners from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, and were supported by the State Attorney General’s Office and the Connecticut Departments of Health and Social Services. This seamless coordination ensures that the Connecticut Medicaid program is protected from unscrupulous providers. We look forward to continuing the teamwork with our state and federal partners to ensure that every dollar spent by the Medicaid program goes to provide muchneeded medical services to Medicaid clients.”

This matter has been jointly investigated by the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, with assistance from the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office. Daly also thanked the Connecticut Department of Social Services for their role in identifying the fraudulent scheme and supporting the investigation and prosecution of the case. This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Sheldon and Christopher W. Schmeisser.