Hatfield Man Gets Probation, Community Service for Medicaid Fraud

Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now•

A Hatfield Township man has been sentenced to probation and community service after pleading guilty to Medicaid fraud.

Lavern Parsons Jr., 36, pleaded guilty on Feb. 29 to one felony count of false or fraudulent medical assistance claim, as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. Additional felony counts of submitting false claims, theft by deception, and tampering with public records or information were dropped in exchange for his plea, court records show.

Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Steven O’Neill sentenced Parsons to two years’ probation and 40 hours of community service, along with an order to make restitution. Sentencing notes indicate the probation period can be reduced to 12 months if Parsons makes restitution and complies with the terms of his probation.

The charges were initially filed in June 2023 following an investigation by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.

According to the criminal complaint, special agents with the Medicaid Fraud Control Section of the Bureau of Criminal Investigations learned that Parsons — who had been hired by a managed care organization to provide in-home health services for his relative — had allegedly submitted timecards for services rendered despite the relative being in the hospital during the same period.

An investigation was subsequently launched that allegedly showed between Feb. 14, 2022, and Aug. 5, 2022, Parsons had submitted timecards on more than 100 days claiming he had provided in-home services. Investigators allege that on those days, Parsons was actually working as a process operator and a material handler at two other jobs, making it impossible for him to have rendered any in-home services, according to charging documents.

Parsons was interviewed by investigators on May 2, 2023 at which point he allegedly confessed to working the other jobs and stated that he would clock in and out for the in-home health services on an app on his phone while working the other jobs.

In total, Parsons received $13,934.20 for 647.35 hours of work, investigators said.