Even though everyone accused of a crime is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, mere accusations and a federal investigation can often send someone's career into a tailspin. Health care fraud allegations, a form of fraud allegations, should be taken as seriously as any other criminal offense and should be countered as aggressively as possible. If the accused is a health care provider, allegations may be enough to taint their career and make it difficult for them to perform their duties.
According to Georgia Attorney General officials, a nurse has recently been indicted for claiming to treat a dead Medicaid patient. According to authorities, she was charged with 19 felony counts, including false statements and writings, first-degree forgery, and identity fraud.
The accused provided nursing care for patients through the home health care company she worked for the last six years, according to the authorities. Allegedly, the patient in question died under her care in 2012 in Atlanta, but prosecutors claim she continued to submit paperwork showing she had visited the patient's home, as if the patient were alive. It is alleged that she forged his signature to forms with her own signature, demonstrating she had visited the deceased patient's house.
Allegations such as these that lead to multiple felony counts carry with them serious penalties that could affect the accused the rest of his or her life. In this situation, the nurse faces a maximum of 30 years in prison along with fines up to $200,000 if she is prosecuted in this case.
Such serious fraud charges need an aggressive defense strategy, so Georgia residents can clear their name to go back to their life without a blemish to their name. A fraud defense attorney may be able to provide some assistance.