RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A North Carolina man has been sentenced to four years in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
Thirty-two-year-old Joseph T. Hackett of Asheville also agreed Tuesday in federal court in Richmond to pay $1.6 million in restitution to the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services.
Federal prosecutors say Hackett owned Richmond-based Access Regional Taskforce, which contracted with Medicaid to provide in-home mental health services for children. Hackett was accused of collecting money from Medicaid for services that didn't meet the criteria for reimbursement.
He also paid a marketing company more than $545,000 for patient referrals. The owner of the marketing company, Lorie T. Monroe, was sentenced to three years and one month in prison for receiving the illegal payments.
