Counselor sentenced to 21 months prison for Medicaid fraud

January 13, 2014

OKLAHOMA CITY – Laurel Mitchell-Hunt of Oklahoma City has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for Medicaid fraud, Attorney General Scott Pruitt announced Thursday.

Mitchell-Hunt, 59, pled guilty to one count of Medicaid fraud in October in federal court and was sentenced to prison on Monday. Mitchell-Hunt, a licensed drug and alcohol counselor, billed the Oklahoma Health Care Authority for counseling sessions that were never provided.

A cooperative investigation involving the FBI and the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit uncovered instances where Mitchell-Hunt conducted personal business, including receiving hair and nail treatments and visiting her son in prison, during the time she was billing the state for performing counseling services.

Mitchell-Hunt also was ordered to pay more than $140,000 in restitution.

The AG’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is the only Oklahoma law enforcement agency dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of Medicaid fraud. The Unit helps raise awareness as well as investigates and prosecutes provider fraud and abuse of residents in Medicaid-funded nursing homes.

Source: "Oklahoma City Counselor Sentenced to Prison for Medicaid Fraud," news release of the Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General, January 2, 2014.