Mike Hilgers

Nebraska Attorney General

Resident of Harrington, Nebraska Pleads Guilty To Medicaid Fraud

LINCOLN—Hartington, Nebraska resident Esther Larsen made her first appearance in Cedar County District Court yesterday. Larson pled guilty to one count of Fraudulently Obtaining a Payment on Behalf of a Recipient of Medical Assistance (criminal Medicaid fraud) which is a Class IV felony.

Larsen worked as a personal care aide for three Hartington-area agencies that provided in-home care services to Medicaid recipients. An investigation revealed that Larsen filed claims for payment with those agencies that had overlapping times, and that she had billed for services she never rendered. This conduct occurred between January 2013 and September 2014.

Larsen was immediately sentenced to 6 months probation and ordered to pay restitution of $8498.68, which she paid in full at her court appearance.

The matter was investigated by the Nebraska Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Patient Abuse Unit and prosecuted by Director Mark Collins.