The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Misti Baker, 36, of West Rutland, Vermont, was sentenced on Friday by United States District Court Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford for healthcare fraud. Judge Crawford sentenced Baker to time served plus two years of supervised release and ordered her to pay $77,306.57 in restitution.
According to court records, between 2012 and 2015, Baker defrauded the State of Vermont’s Children’s Personal Care Services (CPCS) program. CPCS, which is jointly funded by federal and Vermont Medicaid dollars, is designed to provide supplemental assistance with self-care and activities of daily living to Medicaid-eligible children with significant disabilities or health conditions. Three of Baker’s children qualified for the CPCS program. Baker signed and submitted approximately 100 time sheets to Aris Solutions, a company that administered the CPCS program, falsely indicating that her three children had received CPCS program care. In fact, despite their eligibility, the children had not received the claimed care. Baker had Aris Solutions send the payment checks for the purported care giver to various addresses and Post Office boxes over which she had access. Baker’s actions resulted in the fraudulent payment of approximately $77,306.57.
This matter was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Boston Regional Office, and the Vermont Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan A. Ophardt and John J. Boscia. The defendant was represented by Christopher L. Davis, Esq., of Langrock Sperry & Wool LLP.