Three Metro Detroiters accused of defrauding Medicaid with a scheme to submit false mileage reimbursement claims have been charged, state officials said.
Bernice Marie Pate, 51, of Inkster, was arraigned Wednesday in the 54-B District Court in East Lansing, the Michigan Attorney General's Office said.
She is charged with 10 counts of making a false Medicaid claim, each a four-year felony.
Two co-defendants, Wanda Rose Spivey, 55, of Taylor, and Ashley Eliza Mendoza, 34, of Detroit, were arraigned on Monday in 54-B District Court for their alleged roles in the same scheme, according to officials. Both are charged with five counts of making a false Medicaid claim.
A judge set bond for all three defendants at $50,000 and scheduled their next court hearing for Oct. 10.
Court records did not list attorneys for the three on Friday.
Authorities allege the trio exploited a Medicaid transportation program in which beneficiaries receive mileage reimbursement for travel to eligible medical appointments.
Officials said a smartphone app can be used by some in the program to track mileage. After trips for appointments are completed, the app submits claims for reimbursement, which are paid through bank cards mailed to beneficiaries.
Investigators said the three women used a second app to trick their smartphones into thinking it was someplace else and they submitted reimbursement claims for trips that were never made.
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