Psychologist Catinia Farrington Accused: False Claims Ring Up to $4M in Medicaid Fraud

Psychologist Catinia Farrington and associate Haydn Thomas are charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, and tax evasion.

 

According to the indictment, Farrington owned Durham County Mental Health and Behavioral Health Services LLC (“DCMBHS”) in Durham, North Carolina. From 2011 through 2015, Farrington, along with Thomas, allegedly submitted thousands of false claims to Medicaid that resulted in Medicaid paying over $4 million to DCMBHS. Farrington with Thomas allegedly obtained the Medicaid numbers of dental patients and then submitted false claims to Medicaid for mental health services that were not performed without the permission of the patients. 

 

The indictment further alleges that Farrington and Thomas diverted millions of dollars from DCMBHS for their own personal use and evaded income taxes by, among other things, transferring money to various business bank accounts and paying personal expenses from the business bank accounts.

 

If convicted, Farrington and Thomas face a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison for each count of health care fraud, 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud, two years in prison for each count of aggravated identity theft, and five years in prison for each count of tax evasion. Farrington and Thomas also face a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. 

 

"Mental-health clinics allegedly stiff Carolina Medicaid out of $4M," United States Department of Justice, 4 June 2018, http://www.insurancefraud.org/IFNS-detail.htm?key=28303;http://www.nccu.edu/directory/details.cfm?id=cfarrin6