Alabama Psychologist Sharon D. Waltz Sentenced to 3 Years Prison for Medicaid Fraud

March 29, 2021

The United States Department of Justice announced the sentencing of former Birmingham area psychologist, 51-year-old Sharon D. Waltz, for defrauding Alabama’s Medicaid Agency of at least $1.5 million.

Waltz operated Capstone Medical Resources, a provider of counseling services with its primary office in Birmingham. Last year, Waltz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud for filing false claims for individual and group counseling services for at-risk youth.

The investigation was initiated after an audit showed billings submitted by Capstone increased from $99,000 in 2015 to more than $2 million in 2017.

A federal investigation determined that Waltz billed for services that were never provided, and that most claims submitted by Capstone during 2016 through 2018 were fraudulent.

U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor sentenced Waltz to three years’ imprisonment and ordered her to repay $1.5 million to the Alabama Medicaid Agency.

“Waltz’s actions demonstrated reckless disregard for at-risk youth, and she will now face the consequences of those actions,” U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona said.  “Today’s sentence demonstrates our commitment to insuring that at-risk youth receive needed Medicaid services.”

Source: “Former Birmingham area psychologist sentenced for $1.5 million in Medicaid fraud,” WBRC News 6 (Birmingham, AL), Jan. 28, 2021, URL: https://bit.ly/3ruBwjj