NM Women Guilty of Medicaid Fraud

Two Los Lunas, N.M., women have admitted to cheating New Mexico’s Medicaid program out of more than $96,000 by claiming to be each other’s caregivers.

The attorney general’s office says 61-year-old Mollie Stacey and 55-year-old Deborah Cronn have both entered guilty pleas to counts of Medicaid fraud over $2,500, falsification of documents and conspiracy to commit Medicaid fraud.

Prosecutors say that between March 2005 and October 2007, Stacey and Cronn each received Medicaid benefits and falsely claimed to be disabled to the point of needing additional in-home services from the Medicaid Personal Care Option Program.

By submitting requests through different agencies that provide these services and then submitting applications to be each other’s caregiver, the women were able to receive paychecks based on their submission of time sheets.

Sentencing has not been scheduled.