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St. Pete Woman Jailed In Medicaid Fraud

Terri Richards defrauded Medicaid through Alternative Communication Pathways Inc., the Attorney General's Office said.

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TBO.com

Published: December 8, 2008

Updated: 12/08/2008 04:35 pm

A St. Petersburg businesswoman was arrested today on charges she was part of a scheme to defraud the state Medicaid program of roughly $70,000, the Attorney General's Office announced. A speech pathologist, whom the businesswoman employed, is also expected to be taken into custody in connection with the scheme.

The businesswoman, Terri Richards, 44, owned a company called Alternative Communication Pathways Inc., the Attorney General's Office said. The state Medicaid fraud unit began investigating her and the speech pathologist who worked there after it received information Richards was performing speech therapy without proper supervision.

An investigation revealed Richards was also evaluating Medicaid recipients in a way she is not permitted to, the Attorney General's Office said. The speech pathologist would then turn around and sign the evaluations as if the speech pathologist had performed them, the Attorney General's Office said.

Richards is accused of paying the pathologist to provide fraudulent documentation reflecting that the recipient had a proper evaluation prior to beginning speech therapy, the Attorney General's Office said. Richards was then reimbursed more than $70,000 by the Medicaid program for the improperly provided services.

Richards was booked into the Pinellas County Jail this morning on a charge of scheme to defraud. Bail was set at $50,000. A warrant has been issued for the speech pathologist, whom the Attorney General's Office declined to identify.

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