Woman pleads guilty to defrauding Medicaid of over $1.4 million | Crime

MT. HOLLY - A Mount Holly woman admitted to defrauding Medicaid of over $1.4 million and used the money to buy cars and homes.

According to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, 41-year-old Erika Holland pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiring to commit health care fraud and money laundering.

Holland was indicted by the federal grand jury in Charlotte in April on charges of defrauding the North Carolina Medical Assistance Program (Medicaid) and laundering the money to purchase vehicles, a residence and a time share.

According to the indictment, filed court documents and court proceedings, Holland along with two co-conspirators, Giraud Hope and Joanna Patronis, filed false and fraudulent claims with Medicaid seeking reimbursement for mental and behavioral health services allegedly provided by their companies from 2009 to September 2010.

Holland was also not licenced to provide the services or employeed any therapist licensed to provide the services that she defrauded, court documents stated.
According to the release, Holland’s fraud scheme caused Medicaid to pay over $1,490,000 in reimbursements for these fraudulent claims. She then bought a 2003 Hummer H2, a 2007 BMW 750LI, a 2007 Infiniti QX56, a residence in Mt. Holly and a time share in Kissimee, Flordia.

Several other cars and $71,330 in cash were seized by the Secret Service during the investigation.

Holland faces a maximum statutory penalty of ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, to each criminal count. A sentencing date has not been set yet.

Patronis, who pled guilty in April 2011 to one count of health care fraud conspiracy, has admitted that her criminal conduct resulted in a loss of over $2,500,000, and has agreed to forfeit $2,700,000, including $46,857.57 in funds seized during the course of the investigation, a 2010 Toyota Rav-4, and her residence located in Cramerton.

She faces a maximum statutory penalty of ten years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both. A sentencing date has not been set yet.

Hope pled guilty in February 2011, to a single count of conspiring to commit health care fraud, and has admitted that his criminal conduct resulted in a loss of over $1,000,000. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of ten years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both. Hope’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 19, 2011.