BOSTON — Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announces today that defendants in three separate criminal cases have pleaded guilty to schemes to defraud the MassHealth program. The schemes, while separate, all involved billing for services from a personal care attendant (PCA) that were never provided.
Amy Sutherland (a.k.a. Amy Petrucelli), 51, of Worcester, pleaded guilty to the charges of Medicaid False Claims (1 count) and Larceny over $1,200 (1 count), admitting that she stole $36,000 from the MassHealth program. Sutherland was sentenced to one year committed in a House of Correction for each charge, to be fulfilled concurrently. The AG’s Office alleged that from August 2017 to August 2019, Sutherland falsely submitted timesheets for PCA services provided by her to herself by using her maiden name, “Amy Petrucelli.” MassHealth does not permit individuals to provide PCA services to themselves.
Troy Fortin, 51, of New Bedford, pleaded guilty to the charges of Larceny over $1,200 (2 counts) and Medicaid False Claims (2 counts) and was sentenced to two years in a House of Correction, with the sentence suspended for three years. The court also prohibited Fortin from participating in the PCA program. The AG’s Office alleged that, from 2015 to 2020, Fortin fraudulently submitted timesheets to MassHealth for $49,000 worth of PCA services he did not receive from two PCAs, including while the PCAs were hospitalized or working at other jobs.
Angelica Pierni, 32, of Plymouth,...
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