NORTHAMPTON — An Easthampton-based social worker has been indicted on 39 charges related to what prosecutors allege is $125,000 worth of insurance fraud over six years.
Kathleen D. McGovern, of Northampton, was indicted Dec. 12 by a Hampshire Superior Court grand jury on a charge of making false statements in applications for payments of health care benefits and 38 counts of larceny over $250. The incidents are alleged to have occurred between June 1, 2011 and June 1, 2017.
Prosecutors allege McGovern fraudulently billed the insurance company Health New England for therapy sessions she had supposedly conducted with 38 separate individuals, when in fact those therapy sessions never occurred.
McGovern has not yet been arraigned on the charges and is scheduled to make her first court appearance Jan. 4, according to First Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Steven Gagne. McGovern is represented by Northampton attorney David Hoose.
“Ms. McGovern is a longtime, much loved and respected member of the Northampton community, who has for many years practiced social work in Easthampton,” Hoose said in a statement. “We have cooperated in the investigation by the Northwestern District Attorney’s office and look forward to the process of getting this matter resolved in the courts.”
Gagne said Tuesday that the office began an investigation after being notified of the potential fraud in May by the state’s Insurance Fraud Bureau.
Health New England contacted the state bureau about the alleged incidents. Each of the 38 larceny counts identifies a separate individual by their initials. Insurance Fraud Bureau investigators contacted those people and all confirmed that they had never seen McGovern for counseling services, Gagne said.
The state’s licensing board lists a Kathleen D. McGovern with a current license that is valid until October 2018.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.