Nancy ludwig trial#

Her rediagnosing of nearly two dozen patients to ensure continued payment from MaineCare is “not a product of good intentions gone awry,” as she had asserted, Levy said.Īs the sole owner of Facing Change, she was aware of a “systematic and concerted effort to defraud MaineCare” through overbilling, Levy said.

He said he saw “no evidence” that she had been “coerced” into that relationship, as Ludwig’s attorney, Roger Brunelle, implied. She characterized kickbacks paid to Ahmed as bonuses.īut Levy said Ludwig knew what she was doing when she entered into the agreement with Ahmed and paid him kickbacks for more than a year. Ludwig told Judge Levy on Wednesday that she was remorseful for her actions, but claimed she merely exercised poor judgment and negligence in not providing the proper oversight of her staff. “This was a widespread fraud,” Levy said. Two additional defendants agreed to civil settlements. He was sentenced to probation for one year.

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit offense against the United States in the form of paying kickbacks. They have not been sentenced.įour other people connected to this case have been convicted of federal health care felonies, including Ludwig’s son, Jared Lemieux. Garat Osman, another interpreter, pleaded guilty in May to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. In May, Ahmed pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud. The fraud continued until May 1, 2018, when federal and state agents executed search warrants at Facing Change and Ahmed’s business, according to court records. Ludwig and many of her employees conspired to manufacture false records in an attempt to deceive the auditor, prosecutors argued at trial. That same year, auditors with the MaineCare Program Integrity Unit audited Facing Change. In 2016, in response to a MaineCare regulatory change, Ludwig and Ahmed conspired to change the diagnosis of many Facing Change clients who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder to schizophrenia so they could remain eligible to receive MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid) reimbursement for services at Facing Change. Ahmed and other Facing Change workers submitted false claims to MaineCare for counseling and interpreter services, according to court records.

Nancy ludwig trial#

Prosecutors presented evidence at trial showing that beginning in February 2015, Ludwig agreed to pay interpreter Abdirashid Ahmed kickbacks in return for Ahmed bringing MaineCare beneficiaries clients to Facing Change.