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For
Immediate Release: |
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For
Further Information Contact: |
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April
27, 2005
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Office
of The Attorney General
-
Peter C. Harvey,
Attorney General
Division
of Criminal Justice
- Vaughn L. McKoy, Director
Office of the Insurance Fraud
Prosecutor
- Greta Gooden Brown, Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor
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Rachel
Sacharow
609-984-1936
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Philadelphia
Woman Posing as Fake PhD Pleads Guilty to
Bilking Medicaid out of $9,400
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TRENTON
- Division of Criminal Justice Director
Vaughn L. McKoy announced that a Philadelphia
woman has pleaded guilty to bilking the
Medicaid Program out of more than $9,400
by falsely claiming that she had a Doctorate
in psychology and, as a PhD, was qualified
to provide reimbursable counseling services
to Medicaid recipients. The Medicaid Program
is funded by the state and federal governments
and provides health care services and
prescription drugs to persons who may
not otherwise be able to afford such services
and medicines.
According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
Greta Gooden-Brown, Luz Senquiz, 53, Roosevelt
Boulevard, Phila., pleaded guilty before
Camden County Superior Court Judge Thomas
A. Brown to a criminal Accusation filed
by Division of Criminal Justice - Office
of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor. The Accusation
charged Senquiz with Health Care Claims
Fraud (4th degree). When sentenced on
May 22, Senquiz faces up to 18 months
in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
At the guilty plea hearing, Senquiz, the
operator of Latin American Community Services,
a psychological counseling center located
on Westfield Avenue, Pennsauken, Camden
County, admitted that between Jan. 1 and
June 1, 2001, she illegally provided psychological
counseling to Medicaid patients for a
variety of family, marital, and drug dependent
psychological issues by claiming that
she possessed a Doctorate in Psychology
from LaSalle University in Louisiana.
An investigation by the Division of Criminal
Justice - Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
determined that Senquiz had neither a
Doctorate nor a Master’s degree
(either of which is required to counsel
patients under Medicaid regulations).
It was charged that Senquiz fraudulently
billed the Medicaid Program more than
$9,445 for psychological services that
she was not qualified to provide.
State Investigator Joseph Jaruszewski
and Deputy Attorney General Erik W. Daab
were assigned to the investigation. DAG
Daab represented the Division of Criminal
Justice - Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
at the guilty plea hearing.
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