Topeka Woman Sentenced For Health Care Fraud Involving Developmentally Disabled Adults

TOPEKA, KAN.  - A Topeka woman was sentenced Wednesday to 30 months in federal prison for billing Medicaid for services she did not provide to developmentally disabled adult patients, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall and Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced today. She was ordered to pay more than $480,000 in restitution.

Kristina Hansel, 45, Topeka, Kan., pleaded guilty in November 2016 in federal court in Topeka to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. The crimes occurred while Hansel owned and operated Achieve Services, LLC, which was licensed to provide day and residential services to developmentally disabled adults.

In her plea, Hansel admitted the following:

• Billing Medicaid for services not provided.

• Providing false and fraudulent documentation, or no documentation at all.

• Making false and fraudulent statements to obtain and renew her license.

• Failing to hire a Registered Nurse or a License Practical Nurse to provide medical services, including medication administration.

Hansel also admitted that in one case she withheld medical treatment from a patient and directed others to help her cover up medication overdoses so licensing authorities would not learn of the problem.

The case was jointly investigated by federal and state authorities and prosecuted by the Kansas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Division.