Owner of Fortitude Counseling Ordered to Pay Restitution, Barred from Providing Services for or Billing MassHealth
BOSTON — A Quincy woman who owned a behavioral health clinic has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to serve three to four years in state prison in connection with a widespread fraudulent scheme to bill the state’s Medicaid program (MassHealth) and other private and government-funded insurance plans for behavioral health services that were never provided to patients or were improperly provided.
Nicole Kasimatis, age 48, pleaded guilty yesterday in Norfolk Superior Court to the charges of Larceny over $1200 (3 counts), Filing a False Health Care Claim (2 counts), and Medicaid False Claims (2 counts). Following the plea, Judge Peter Krupp ordered her to three to four years in state prison followed by three years of probation with the conditions that she pay restitution, not work for a MassHealth provider and not bill MassHealth for services, remain in Massachusetts and forfeit any passports, and stay away from and have no contact with named witnesses. The restitution amount will be determined at a later date.
“This defendant had a responsibility to provide patients with critical behavioral health services, but she instead chose to defraud the system for her own personal gain,” said AG Healey. “We are grateful to our partners in this case for working with us to hold this defendant accountable for her crimes and to protect our state resources from these schemes.”...
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