NORTHAMPTON – A Northampton man has been indicted by a statewide grand jury for allegedly committing nearly $100,000 in Medicaid fraud, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office.
Medford Boston Sr., 76, allegedly submitted timesheets to state Medicaid program MassHealth for personal care attendant (PCA) services that were never provided, according to a statement from the AG’s office. Boston was indicted on one count of Medicaid false claims and one count of larceny over $1,200.
The PCA program supports individuals with disabilities by funding assistance for daily living activities, and eligible MassHealth members may employ attendants to assist them. Recipients are responsible for hiring qualified PCAs and submitting accurate timesheets for services rendered.
Although Boston was eligible for PCA services, he allegedly listed his 95-year-old mother and his son as PCA, despite his mother being physically unable to assist him and his son living in Pennsylvania for the last 25 years, the AG’s office said. MassHealth subsequently paid Boston $99,000 for services that were allegedly never provided.
The announcement comes two months after Brenda Bialecki, 60, formerly of South Deerfield, was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay $13,600 in restitution after she pleaded guilty to single counts of Medicaid false claims, larceny over $1,200 and Medicaid kickbacks.
MassHealth paid $98,836 for claims for services provided to Bialecki by her two personal care attendants (PCAs), John Baracewicz, 61, of Danvers, and Isaiah Salaam, 39, of Greenfield, that were tainted by the kickback scheme or were otherwise false. Included in those figures is at least $66,018 that was paid for hours not worked.
The Boston case was investigated and prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Joanna Staley and Investigator Fatima Tanveer, of the AGO’s Medicaid Fraud Division. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and MassHealth assisted with the investigation.
Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.
