A Silver Spring woman was sentenced to five years in prison, with all but 18 months suspended, for charges of Medicaid fraud after billing for services that were never provided.
Elia Torres, 44, pleaded guilty on Sept. 30 to billing for juvenile speech-language therapy services that were never provided, defrauding the state’s Medicaid program of more than $1 million, according to a news release from Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown’s Office.
Torres was sentenced in Montgomery County Circuit Court to five years in prison with all but 18 months suspended, to be served on home detention. She faces three years of probation, a $10,000 suspended fine, and is liable for over $1 million in restitution, with $225,000 paid at the time of her sentencing. Torres can also no longer provide any healthcare services partially or fully funded by federal or state governments.
“Medical professionals rely on the Maryland Medicaid program to help some of the most vulnerable people in our state,” Brown said in the release. “When providers fraudulently bill for Medicaid, they undermine public trust in this important program and deprive low-income Marylanders who need healthcare.”