Bernice Marie Pate, 51, of Inkster, was arraigned for allegedly exploiting a Medicaid transportation program, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Pate has been charged with 10 counts of Medicaid Fraud – False Claim, each a 4-year felony. Earlier this week, Wanda Rose Spivey, 55, of Taylor, and Ashley Eliza Mendoza, 34, of Detroit, were arraigned in the 54B District Court for allegedly defrauding the same program. Spivey and Mendoza each face 5 counts of Medicaid Fraud – False Claim.
The Michigan Medicaid program will provide mileage reimbursement to enrolled beneficiaries when they travel to eligible medical appointments. In some cases, a smartphone app is made available to track mileage to these appointments using the built-in GPS of the phone. When a trip is complete, the reimbursement payment is added to a payment card mailed to the beneficiary when they register for this program. The card can then be used like any debit card. It is alleged the defendants participated in a scheme where another app was used to effectively trick a phone into thinking it was someplace it was not and submitted reimbursement requests for trips that never took place. This matter was referred to the Department of Attorney General by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (DHHS-OIG).