Barbara Ann Currin and six others have been charged with Medicaid fraud in Minnesota, according to KARE11.com.
This is the second time Ms. Currin has been charged with medical assistance fraud, according to Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson. She is currently in the Shakopee Women's prison due to her 2010 fraud conviction.
To fulfill the fraud, Ms. Currin utilized the help of six accomplices, five of whom are her family members. The accomplices set up and closed eight nursing service companies in the Twin Cities. Together, they charged $2.6 million in billings.
Ms. Currin's emails to her accomplices helped identify her as a culprit, according to Attorney General Swanson. Ms. Currin allegedly told one of her accomplices to "[b]ill everything daily as we don't know when it will stop." The accomplice replied, "Yes, ma'am, that's what I've been doing just to make sure we get everything we can," according to the report.
The conspirators are charged on various crimes, including racketeering and theft by swindle, all of which carry a potential sentence of 20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.