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

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

On Monday, after a three-day trial, a Middlesex Superior Court jury found Abdikadir Maow, 50, guilty of Medicaid False Claims and Larceny by False Pretenses over $1200. Middlesex Superior Court Judge Christopher Barry-Smith sentenced Maow on Tuesday to one year in the Middlesex House of Correction, followed by three years of probation and ordered him to pay $112,000 in restitution. While on probation, Maow will be prohibited from having any role or responsibilities with the PCA program and will instead be required to receive services from a home health company.

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 participated in a scheme to falsely submit timesheets for PCA services that were not actually rendered to Maow. According to the AG’s Office, Maow’s PCA was billing and getting paid for PCA hours purportedly provided during times when the PCA was working at a secondary employer or while the PCA or Maow 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 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, Investigator Mac Barreca, and Paralegal Fiona Fitzgerald, 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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