Ossipee woman arrested in Medicaid fraud case

CONCORD - An Ossipee woman was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly defrauding Medicaid by billing the taxpayer-funded program more than $1,500 for travel to doctors appointments she never made.

Erin M. Longo, 43, stands charged with theft by deception, false claims, and presenting false records concerning allegations that she submitted Medicaid claims for mileage reimbursement in connection with medical appointments that did not exist.

The charges allege that between Aug. 22, 2019 and Feb. 28, 2020, Longo presented falsified mileage reimbursement claims forms to New Hampshire Medicaid's non-emergency medical transportation broker in order to receive mileage reimbursement for traveling to medical appointments in Concord that did not exist.

The charges further allege that Longo acted with the intent to defraud New Hampshire Medicaid, and that she received over $1,500 in Medicaid funds in connection with the alleged scheme.

The maximum penalty on the theft by deception charge, a class A felony, is 7 ½ to 15 years in the New Hampshire State Prison. The maximum penalty for the False Claims and Presenting False Records charges, both class B felonies, are each 3 ½ to 7 years in the New Hampshire State Prison.

Longo will be arraigned in the Merrimack County Superior Court on Jan. 6. Assistant Attorney General Stephanie J. Johnson and Senior Assistant Attorney General Thomas T. Worboys of the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit are prosecuting this case. Financial Analyst/Investigator Timothy E. Brackett, also of the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and Investigator Robert J. Sullivan, formerly of the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, investigated the matter based on a referral from Well Sense Health Plan's Special Investigations Unit.

The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes fraud by healthcare providers who treat Medicaid beneficiaries. Healthcare providers include, but are not limited to, hospitals, nursing homes, doctors, dentists, pharmacies, ambulance companies, and anyone else who is paid for providing healthcare services to Medicaid beneficiaries.

If anyone would like to report a case of provider fraud, please contact the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at (603) 271-1246. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the New Hampshire Department of Justice receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $910,048 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2022. The State of New Hampshire funds the remaining 25 percent, totaling $303,346 for FY 2022.