Woodbridge Business Owner Sentenced for Defrauding Virginia Medicaid Program

(Alexandria, VA) – Hawa Weller-Pace, 48, of Alexandria, Virginia, was sentenced today to 25 months in federal prison, followed by a term of three years supervised release, and ordered to pay $877,342 in restitution to the government. Weller-Pace pled guilty on June 18, 2008, to federal health care fraud charges in connection with a scheme to defraud the Virginia Medicaid program. Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Field Office, made the announcement today after Weller-Pace’s sentencing before United States District Judge Liam O’Grady.

Weller-Pace was the owner and operator of Charity Home Care, an Alexandria home health agency that provided respite care and personal care services to Medicaid recipients. From October 2006 through March 2008, she submitted 1,069 false claims for more than $1.2 million to the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (“DMAS”), which administers Medicaid funds in Virginia. Weller-Pace forged the signatures of registered nurses on patient records and falsely claimed payment for services that were not properly rendered or, in some instances, never rendered.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Virginia Office of the Attorney General investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Belevetz and Special Assistant United States Attorney Steven W. Grist prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.

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