The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Ester N. Mbaya, age 43, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 41 months in prison on charges of healthcare fraud and bank fraud. She was also ordered to pay back $3,349,550 in restitution to the parties she defrauded. According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Mbaya was president of Cool Waters, LLC, a home healthcare agency. Mbaya submitted fraudulent Medicaid claims seeking compensation for services that were not provided or were otherwise inflated. Mbaya submitted these fraudulent claims from January 2018 to June 2020, and obtained in excess of $1 million as a result of the fraud. Mbaya also submitted falsified records to four financial institutions to obtain loans and lines of credit. The falsified records included altered bank statements which made it appear she had more money on deposit than she did. She also submitted falsified pay checks to obtain loans.
