Moriarty Consultants, Activity Daily Living Services, Everyday People Staffing and Coordination Care. All were all companies owned by Arlinda Moriarty and Daynelle Dickens and approved under the Pennsylvania Medicaid program to offer personal assistance services, service coordination, and other services to qualifying Medicaid recipients. However, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that the main service the two sisters offered was the theft of more than $87 million in Medicaid payments for claims of services never performed.
On May 37, 2022, Moriarty, Dickens and their uncle, Tony Brown, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and health care fraud from 2011 to 2017. Moriarty also pleaded guilty to concealing material facts in a health care matter and aggravated identity theft.
The defendants admitted the fraud was carried out by falsifying data on time sheets in a variety of ways. While claims were submitted, some for customers who were in jail, in the hospital or dead, time sheets were submitted using “ghost employees” who would allow their names to be used in exchange for a portion of the Medicaid disbursements. Brown admitted paying kickbacks to his then-son-in-law with the submission of claims stating that Brown had provided in-home care for the son-in-law, when, in fact, he had not. (Family motto: keep fraud within the family!)
Moriarty and Dickens also admitted causing the submission of fraudulent Medicaid claims for so called “unused” hours—the excess hours of care that consumers had not needed and therefore should not have been billed. (Rounding up!)
Finally, Moriarty admitted that during audits, she ordered the fabrication of various documents for submission to state authorities in an effort to conceal the Medicaid fraud scheme. (Fraud to cover up the fraud!)
Sentencing is scheduled for Moriarty, Dickens, and Brown on September 28, 2022.
Congratulations to the FBI, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the US Department of Health and Human Services who conducted the investigation of the defendants.
Today’s Fraud of the Day” is based on an article posted by The Eagle, On June 1, 2022
Cranberry woman admits role in $87 million in Medicaid fraud
By Molly Miller Eagle Staff Writer
According to a news release from U. S. Attorney Cindy Chung, Arlinda Moriarty, 53, pleaded guilty on Friday to one count each of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, engaging in a scheme to conceal material facts in a health care matter and aggravated identity theft.
Moriarty’s sister, Daynelle Dickens, 47, of Pittsburgh, and their uncle, Tony Brown, 64, of Pittsburgh, also pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and health care fraud.
