City man receives probation in federal fraud case

Ordered to pay $211K in restitution

A Torrington man was sentenced this week to five years of probation for committing health care fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden ordered Maurice Sharpe, 46, to pay restitution of $211,131 in the case, according to a release.

In describing the case, federal authorities said according to court documents and statements made in court, Sharpe and his mother, Patricia Lafayette, and another person formed Family First Community Support Services LLC, a social services agency in Torrington, and Sharpe was the office manager.

Lafayette and the other person, who was not named, then approached Anne Charlotte Silver, a licensed clinical social worker who owned and operated Silver Counseling Services LLC, in Canton and Bantam, the release said.

“Lafayette and the other individual proposed a scheme to Silver to defraud Medicaid by permitting Lafayette and the other individual to bill Medicaid for psychotherapy services using Silver’s Medicaid provider number. The services were either performed by unlicensed individuals or not performed at all.

Under the scheme, Silver kept 25 percent of the proceeds, and paid the remaining 75 percent to Lafayette and the other individual,” the release said.

Medicaid was defrauded of about $1.6 million through this scheme, with Lafayette receiving more than $1.2 million, the release said.

Sharpe pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud in December 2016 and “admitted that he submitted claims to Medicaid for psychotherapy services that falsely represented that Silver had personally provided the services,” the release said. “Sharpe also admitted that he submitted hundreds of claims to Medicaid for psychotherapy services purportedly provided to Sharpe’s family members, including (his) children and nieces and nephews, when no such services were ever provided.”

Sharpe also assisted in preparation of records that falsely documented the nature and extent of services his family members received, the release said.

In April 2017, Lafayette was sentenced to 21 months in prison and six months of home confinement and, in May 2017, Silver was sentenced to 10 months in prison, after both pleaded guilty to health care fraud, the release said. Lafayette and Silver were ordered to pay restitution of $1.6 million, the release said.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon and Auditor Susan Spiegel. It was 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.

People who suspect health care fraud are encouraged to report it by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS.