Woman gets 5 years for Medicaid fraud

THOMASTON — A resident was sentenced to more than five years prison Tuesday after fraudulently billing Medicaid for more than $660,000 in services, according to the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.

Andrea J. Prenez pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community and first-degree identity theft in October, according to a release from the division.

Prenez was arrested in June after the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, a subsection of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, investigated “allegations involving her role as principal of Sweet Counseling Services, LLC, which did business under the name Thomaston Counseling Associates,” along with other agencies.

The Thomaston Police Department, among others, participated in the inquiry, according to the release.

“Prenez was accused of using a relative’s identity and credentials to bill Medicaid for more than $661,000 in services she could not legally provide herself or which were never rendered,” said the division.

The offenses date back to June 2012, according to state judicial records.

Hartford Superior Court Judge Laura F. Baldini sentenced Prenez to an effective term of 10 years in prison, suspended after 67 months, with three years probation.

She will also be required to pay back more than $661,000 in restitution, according to the division. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com