A Florida woman is facing jail time for allegedly making false claims to Medicaid, conning the federal aid program out of more than $200,000.

This woman allegedly used homeless peoples’ information in making these alleged false claims to Medicaid, with the state attorney general’s office announcing she will be facing over four years in prison.

This qui tam lawsuit was investigated by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which has secured over $750 million in whistleblower settlements and judgments since 2011. Individuals who report fraud are called whistleblowers and can be eligible to receive between 15% to 30% of the potential settlement award.

Whistleblowers are considered a valuable tool to fight against fraud, with $500 million awarded to whistleblowers in 2014 and 2015.

According to the qui tam lawsuit, this woman faced two counts of Medicaid fraud, one count of organized defrauding, and one count of conspiracy to commit fraud.

While the defendant initially plead not guilty, she changed her plea in March 2017 and admitted to one count of Medicaid provider fraud. The second amended indictment filed in November stated that the defendant knowingly made false claims to the Agency for Health Care Administration for their own benefit at the expense of the federal healthcare program.

The defendant in this case is Christina Benson, owner of Orlando’s Tranquility Healthcare Solutions. She is facing a 54 month sentence for allegedly submitting false claims to Medicaid.

The Florida Attorney General states Benson is pleading guilty to first degree felony charges of Medicaid fraud. The judge who is overseeing the qui tam lawsuit originally sentenced her to 108 months.

Circuit Judge A. James Craner agreed to a lighter sentence after she agreed to plead guilty to the Medicaid fraud charges. Each charge initially carried a maximum sentence of 30 years, but Benson’s decision to plead guilty saved her considerable jail time.

Overview of Qui Tam Lawsuit

According to the qui tam lawsuit, Benson and alleged co-conspirator Dr. Sabiha Khan were arrested for allegedly making false claims to Medicaid in March 2015. Their scheme allegedly goes back to November 2012, when Benson and Dr. Khan allegedly found homeless men and women to pose as patients for Tranquility Healthcare.

In exchange for posing as patients, these people were offered various financial benefits like gas cards and temporary housing. When Benson and Dr. Khan acquired the individuals’ Medicaid ID information, they would then submit allegedly false claims to Medicaid for psychological rehabilitation services that were never actually provided.

In addition, Dr. Khan claimed to give treatments to these people even though they never actually met. Benson also recruited untrained personnel, including those with criminals records, to participate. This ultimately resulted in $3.2 million in claims to Medicaid in less than a year and a half.

Before the sentencing, Benson has already surrendered over $170,000 to state authorities and satisfied her restitution charges. In addition, Judge Craner reportedly credited Benson 28 days for times served after adjusting her sentence.

This False Claims to Medicaid Lawsuit is State of Florida v. Benson, Case No. 2015-CF-003322 in the Circuit Court of the Ninth Judicial Circuit for Orange County, Florida.