Two Seminole County women were arrested after investigators say they billed Medicaid for services for disabled children that they did not provide, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday.
The owner of Angels Creative Children Therapy, Maria Navarro, 44, and her office manager, Judith Benech, 37, are accused of billing the government for about $4 million worth of behavioral therapy sessions the business never provided.
The alleged scheme was discovered by a parent of a child who went to Angels Creative Children Therapy for treatment. The parent noticed an unusually high amount of billing on the child’s Medicaid explanation of benefits, according to Bondi’s office.
Her Medicaid Fraud Control Unit found Angels Creative Children Therapy had inflated Medicaid invoices, claiming children had received eight hours of one-on-one therapy every day.
“The children rarely, if ever, received such therapy,” said Florida Attorney General’s Office spokeswoman Kylie Mason.
Navarro and Benech each face charges of Medicaid provider fraud and organized scheme to defraud. Both charges are first-degree felonies.
If convicted, Navarro and Benech face sentences of up to 30 years in prison and fines and restitution in excess of $59,000, Mason said.
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