A Macomb, Michigan woman, Alicia Renee Hackett, 33, has been charged with Medicaid fraud after allegedly using a manipulated smartphone to submit false mileage reimbursement claims, the Department of Attorney General reported.
Hackett faces one count of conspiracy to commit Medicaid fraud and ten counts of making false claims.
The Medicaid program reimburses participants for travel to medical appointments, often using a smartphone app that tracks mileage via GPS. The reimbursement is added to a payment card after trips are completed.
According to officials, Hackett used a different app to trick her phone into reporting locations she never visited, submitting reimbursement requests for trips that never occurred.
She was arrested Thursday by the Clare County Sheriff’s Office and is held on a $50,000 bond with 10% surety. Her next court hearing is set for June 18.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel condemned the fraud, stating, “The exploitation of technology intended to help some of our state’s most vulnerable residents access medical care is absolutely shameful. The answer to tackling such fraud is not to cut off care for those who need it, but to hold perpetrators accountable.”
