United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

HAMDEN WOMAN WHO MADE FALSE CLAIMS TO MEDICARE AND MEDICAID IS SENTENCED

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that STACEY LEE WILLIAMS, 38, of Hamden, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven to three years of probation, the first six months of which she must serve in home confinement, for submitting false claims to Medicare and Medicaid.  Judge Burns also ordered WILLIAMS to perform 100 hours of community service.  WILLIAMS pleaded guilty to the offense on May 7, 2010.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 1, 2007, while a resident of Arizona, WILLIAMS pleaded guilty to one felony count of forgery and was later sentenced to two years probation and 30 hours of community service.  On October 22, 2007, when applying for a renewal of her LPN license in the state of Connecticut, WILLIAMS checked “no” when asked if she had been convicted in the last year of a felony.  Based in part on this false representation, WILLIAMS’ Connecticut license was renewed.

On June 3, 2008, WILLIAMS began working at Soundview Healthcare and Rehabilitation, a skilled nursing facility in West Haven that accepts payment from Medicare and Medicaid.  On her employment application, she used a false social security number and again claimed that she had no felony convictions.

On December 18, 2008, WILLIAMS applied to Jewish Home for the Elderly, a skilled nursing facility in Fairfield that receives funding from Medicare and Medicaid.  In her application, she again falsely claimed to have no felony convictions.  WILLIAMS was hired as a full-time employee on February 9, 2009, and she worked there for approximately five months.  During her employment, WILLIAMS never disclosed that she had been excluded by the Department of Health and Human Services, which caused the facility to submit claims to Medicare and Medicaid that were not allowable.

This matter was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul H. McConnell.

People who suspect health care fraud are encouraged to report it by calling the Health Care Fraud Task Force at (203) 785-9270 or 1-800-HHS-TIPS.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov