Three Michigan residents have been charged with Medicaid fraud over a mileage reimbursement program intended for taking patients to medical appointments, the Michigan Attorney General's office said.
Ashley Eliza Mendoza, 34, of Detroit, is facing five counts of Medicaid fraud-false claim; Bernice Marie Pate, 51, of Inkster, is charged with 10 counts of Medicaid fraud-false claim; and Wanda Rose Spivey, 55, of Taylor, is facing five counts of Medicaid fraud-false claim.
The three were arraigned in recent days in 54-B District Court in East Lansing, state prosecutors said:
The investigation involved claims for medical mileage reimbursements under the Michigan Medicaid program, Attorney General Dana Nessel's office said. In some cases, a smartphone app tracks mileage through the phone's GPS connections. After a trip is recorded, reimbursement is placed on a payment card that can be used like any debit card.
The attorney general's office alleges that the three participated in a scheme to trick a phone into indicating a false location, and submitted reimbursement requests for trips that never took place."
Each of the charges is a four-year felony. All three were issued $50,000 personal recognizance bonds, court records show. The probable cause conference on the cases is set for Oct. 17 in the district court, with a preliminary exam on Oct. 23.
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