Wis. Woman Convicted on Fraud Charge

Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager announced that an Oneida County woman was convicted of fraud and sentenced by Judge Steven Ebert in Dane County Circuit Court.

Barbara Bergman, 64, of Rhinelander, pled no contest to one count of fraud. Bergman was sentenced to 18 months probation. As a condition of probation, Bergman will surrender her chiropractic license and will permanently surrender her Medicaid provider number. Bergman is also required to pay a $1,000 fine and complete 100 hours of community service. Restitution in the amount of $1,000 was paid at the appearance.

According to the Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit’s criminal complaint, between January 1999 and January 2001, Bergman worked as a chiropractor and reportedly billed the Medicaid program for services she had not provided.

Dr. Tony D. Hjelle, Bergman’s employer, reportedly told the Office of Inspector General that after a review of his business records, he believed Bergman had altered her patient treatment notes, the dates of injuries and the diagnostic codes on her patient records. He further believed the defendant up-coded approximately 504 billings after he purchased the business from her and up-coded an additional 1,235 billings during the time preceding his purchase.

As a result of his investigation, Dr. Hjelle terminated Bergman’s employment and severed his relationship with her.