Press Release  Lowell Man Found Guilty, Sentenced To Jail for Defrauding MassHealth

WOBURN — A Lowell man has been found guilty and sentenced to two years in a House of Correction for his role in a scheme to submit false claims to MassHealth for Personal Care Attendant (PCA) services that were not rendered, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

On Monday, a Middlesex Superior Court jury found Abdinafa Maow, 28, of Lowell, guilty of Medicaid False Claims and Larceny by False Pretenses over $1200 (1 count). Yesterday, Middlesex Superior Court Judge Cathleen Campbell sentenced Maow to two years in a House of Correction, with one year to serve, and three years of probation following his time served.  Conditions of probation include $112,000 in restitution and a requirement that he not be a MassHealth provider or otherwise provide health services to people with disabilities.

Maow was indicted in October 2020 as part of a coordinated sweep charging seven individuals in PCA fraud cases. The AG’s Office alleged that, from 2015 to May of 2020, Maow and his PCA client, a relative, participated in a scheme to falsely submit timesheets for PCA services that were not actually rendered to the patient. According to the AG’s Office, Maow was billing and getting paid for PCA hours purportedly provided during times when he was working at a secondary employer or while he or the patient were traveling or residing out of the country separately for long periods of time. During Maow’s trial, the AG’s Office presented evidence that Maow caused more than $112,000 in fraudulent billing to MassHealth.

The conclusion of this trial follows years of efforts by AG Healey’s Medicaid Fraud Division to combat fraud and misconduct in the PCA program. In June, the other defendant in the Maow PCA fraud case was found guilty and sentenced to two years in the Middlesex House of Correction, one year to serve, followed by three years of probation. In March, the AG’s Office secured indictments against four individuals in another PCA false billing scheme, and in July 2021, the Division indicted a New Bedford man who allegedly defrauded the program by falsely billing for services he did not receive.

This case was investigated and prosecuted by Senior Trial Counsel Elisha Willis, Assistant Attorney General Matthew Turnell, and Investigator Thomas Barreca, all from AG Healey’s Medicaid Fraud Division. Assistant Attorney General Christina Chan also investigated the case. The Massachusetts State Police assigned to the AG’s Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, MassHealth, Tempus Unlimited and United Cerebral Palsy of MetroBoston provided critical assistance to the investigation and prosecution.

The Medicaid Fraud Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award. The remaining 25 percent is funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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