Maryland woman faces prison for concocting $3.6M mental health scam
A woman in Maryland has pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicaid of more than $3.6 million meant for mental health patients. According to a statement from the state Office of the Attorney General, 44-year-old Tasha Saunders admitted to submitting fraudulent claims for the two behavioral health companies she operated, one of which was a psychiatric rehabilitation program.
Prosecutors said she "defrauded Medicaid by forging signatures, composing fake patient records, and stealing the identities of unwitting healthcare providers and Medicaid recipients alike." More simply, the scheme involved submitting billable claims for patients who did not receive care, under the pretense a provider was administering services.
Saunders admitted to the charges in court on Feb. 25, all of which stemmed from incidents that occurred between November 2019 and September 2024.
“This outrageous conduct is an insult to the one in five Marylanders who rely on Medicaid for health coverage. These crimes harm our state’s neediest residents and the health providers who care for them,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement. “We will defend the funding of this critical program that allows people to live full, healthy lives.”
The matter is complicated by the fact that this isn’t her first time being convicted of Medicaid fraud. In 2021, Saunders confessed to a similar scam, which earned her a nine-month prison stint, followed by nine months of home confinement and a $471,744 fine.
Saunders faces sentencing for this latest conviction, scheduled for July 21, 2025. She could receive another fine and/or more prison time.
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