Woman steals IDs, becomes fake therapist to fraud Minnesota Medicaid system
CLAY CO., Minn. (FOX 9) - A Fargo woman faces several charges of identity theft and false representation after authorities say she operated as a fake therapist and billed Minnesota’s Medicaid program for $108,000 in services.
Fake therapist fraud charges
What we know:
Christine Marie Pryor, 55, faces 12 total charges in Clay County as part of a scheme that authorities believe occurred over a span of 2.5 years.
According to charges, Pryor operated as a fake therapist using the credentials and license of three unsuspecting victims.
Pryor then used fake degrees and transcripts to get jobs as a Marriage and Family Therapist and Alcohol and Drug Counselor.
As a provider, Pryor served 169 Medicaid recipients, while defrauding Minnesota’s Medicaid program out of $156,765.51, while receiving $108,000 of the funds herself. She also opened her own counseling center in Fargo, according to charges.
Dig deeper:
Charges outline that when an individual enrolls as a Medicaid provider, they are given a unique provider ID number (NPI number), which is used to bill for all services delivered or supervised by an individual.
If a service is billed under the provider number of an individual who did not provide the service, the service is not eligible for Medicaid reimbursement. The program covers a wide range of treatments, including alcohol and drug counseling services.
According to charges, investigators found that Pryor worked as an unlicensed counselor at Lakeland Mental Health Center in Lakeland, and The Lotus Center in Moorhead.
However, UCare reportedly discovered that Pryor had previously provided a false identity when filing for employment and reimbursement claims.
Investigators also found that a Master of Science degree from Capella University and graduation transcripts were fraudulently created.
When interviewed, charges state that Pryor allegedly admitted to using other providers’ license numbers and names, while also providing a fake Capella University diploma and transcripts to gain employment. Pryor said that she would go on to licensing websites for Minnesota and North Dakota therapy and counseling boards to look at the list of therapists, and would then look for someone with her same first name – using those individuals’ last names and license numbers when applying for jobs.
The Source: Information provided by charges filed in Clay County.