New Hanover County social worker sentenced to prison for conspiring to defraud Medicaid
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A New Hanover County social worker has been sentenced to prison for conspiring to defraud North Carolina Medicaid of more than $400,000.
Felicia Moore Jones, 52, was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $400,000 in restitution.
“This defendant used her government position to steal from a government program intended to help the needy,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Now, she will be forced to repay what she took and spend the next 14 months behind bars.”
Jones was a social worker in New Hanover County who conspired with a licensed mental health counselor, Lakia Washington, to defraud North Carolina Medicaid (“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.
