A man who the Arizona Attorney General says used a fake diploma and portrayed himself as a psychologist has signed a plea agreement and will not be going to trial.
Scott Keeling agreed to plead “no contest” to two felony criminal charges, including fraudulent schemes. In exchange, three other felony charges will be dropped.
He is facing between one and 2.5 years in prison when he’s sentenced later this month.
Court records allege Keeling and two other Valley businessmen were
involved in an illegal scheme to defraud state Medicaid. The attorney general alleges Keeling ran a behavior therapy business in Phoenix and was unable to get approval to bill patients through the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), which is the state’s Medicaid system for people with limited incomes. Court records allege AHCCCS was instead billed through another business owned by John Blaylock, whose company then paid Keeling and another individual, Elio Gaegea, “a percentage of those proceeds.”