FRANKLIN — Two Franklin residents were indicted this week for allegedly defrauding the Medicaid system by a Merrimack County Grand Jury.
Tucker Bean, 31, and Felisha Cunningham, 29, are accused of stealing more than $15,000 from the Medicaid system by submitting fraudulent mileage reimbursement requests, according to a New Hampshire Department of Justice release.
They’re charged with theft and Medicaid fraud.
The NH DOJ Medicaid Fraud Control Unit received information Bean and Cunningham were submitting fraudulent mileage reimbursement requests in August 2023. Through an investigation they determined Bean submitted the requests using the address of his parent’s home in Conway for trips to seek medical attention in Franklin between April 2023 and January 2024.
The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes fraud committed by health care providers who treat Medicaid patients and is funded in large part by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. One quarter of their funding is from the State of New Hampshire.
Between May 2023 and August 2023, Cunningham allegedly submitted mileage reimbursement requests for trips to the same medical facility in Franklin from an address in Plymouth. Department of Justice officials say neither of them lived in either Conway or Plymouth at the time, but resided primarily in Merrimack County.
Bean and Cunningham apparently lived together in Franklin and in Tilton between April 2023 and January 2024, and traveled together to the medical center in Franklin but each allegedly made separate requests for mileage reimbursement on multiple occasions between May 2023 and August 2023.
In submitting the fraudulent mileage reimbursement requests, Bean and Cunningham apparently received more than $15,000 they were not entitled to.
They are both charged with one class A felony count of theft by deception and two class B felony counts of Medicaid fraud.
Bean is scheduled to appear in Merrimack County Superior Court on Wednesday, Sept. 25, for a hearing, and Cunningham is scheduled to appear for a hearing on Thursday, Oct. 17.
“The charges and allegations against Mr. Bean and Ms. Cunningham are merely accusations, and Mr. Bean and Ms. Cunningham are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty,” the announcement reads in part.
The maximum penalty on the class A felonies is 7.5 to 15 years in the New Hampshire State Prison and a $4,000 fine. The maximum penalty on the class B felonies is 3.5 to 7 years in the New Hampshire State Prison and a $4,000 fine.
The case was pursued by Investigator John Lannon and Financial Investigator Timothy Brackett of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with assistance from the Franklin and Tilton police departments. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant Attorney General Thomas T. Worboys and Assistant Attorney General Andrew Yourell of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
(1) comment
If they are found guilty they should be punished & anyone else that screws the system needs to be also !
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