Felicia Moore Jones, 52, pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud North Carolina Medicaid in a scheme that resulted in more than $400,000 in fraudulent billing. She faces up to 10 years in prison and a potential fine. According to the filed charge and information summarized in court, Jones was a social worker in New Hanover County who conspired with a licensed mental health counselor, Lakia Washington, to defraud Medicaid. Jones used her government employment to obtain personally identifying information (PII) of New Hanover County residents enrolled in Medicaid, including their Medicaid ID numbers. In exchange for an agreed-upon fee per beneficiary, Jones then provided the PII to Washington, knowing it would be used to generate fraudulent claims for services never rendered. Investigators have attributed over $400,000 of Washington’s fraudulent Medicaid billing to the beneficiary PII Jones provided to Washington. Late last year, Washington pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing. Based upon the investigation, no out-of-pocket costs were borne by the individuals whose identities were used as a part of the scheme.
