Mass. Woman Sentenced for Defrauding Tufts Associated Health Plans; Restitution to Insurer Ordered

A former employee of Tufts Associated Health Plans was sentenced recently in federal court for her reported role in executing a scheme that defrauded Tufts out of more than $238,000.

United States Attorney Michael Sullivan and Kenneth Jones, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in New England, announced that Alfreta Stone, 42, of Dorchester, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Rya Zobel to 18 months in prison, to be followed by 2 years of supervised release.

The Court also ordered Stone to make restitution in the total amount of $228,000 to Tufts and its insurer. Stone pleaded guilty on May 6, 2004 to seven counts of mail fraud and eight counts of creating counterfeit checks.

In pleading guilty, Stone reportedly admitted that, for a period of a year, beginning in August 2001, she “doctored” internal Tufts check request forms and caused Tufts to issue 15 corporate checks to fictitious payees and to Stone and co-defendant Anthony Wall’s family and friends.

Stone admitted to recruiting associates along with Wall to deposit the checks into their own bank accounts and then give roughly 90% of the proceeds back to Stone and Wall. The check cashers reportedly kept the remaining 10% as payment for their role in the scheme. Through this scheme to defraud, Stone and Wall defrauded Tufts out of more than $238,000.

The charges are still pending against Stone’s co-defendant, Anthony Wall, 41, of Mattapan, for his reported role in the scheme.