Hartford Substance Abuse Counselor Pleads Guilty To Fraud: Feds

HARTFORD, CT — A 59-year-old Hartford woman and substance abuse counselor has pleaded guilty to federal charges accusing her of defrauding the government of more than $1 million.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. attorney for Connecticut; Roberto Coviello, special agent in charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General; and Robert Fuller, special agent in charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced Friday Thelma "Wendy" Epps, 59, of Hartford, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport to health care fraud.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Epps was a licensed alcohol and drug abuse counselor (LADC) with an office located at 330 Main St. in Hartford.

In April 2013, she enrolled as a participating provider in the Connecticut Medicaid program along with an entity affiliated with Epps called Miracles to Destiny LLC, officials said.

In July 2018, the Medicaid program suspended Epps from participating as a provider in the program based on a finding of a credible allegation of fraud, wrote authorities in a release.

Medicaid told Epps any attempt to circumvent her suspension by submitting claims for services performed by Epps or Miracles to Destiny LLC through other agencies or other billing numbers would result in the termination of her provider agreement, authorities said.

In 2019, federal officials said Epps entered into an agreement with Dennis Tomczak, a Connecticut LADC who was a participating provider in Medicaid.

According to authorities, Epps and Tomczak agreed Tomczak would bill Medicaid using his Medicaid provider number for psychotherapy counseling services purportedly provided by Epps.

These claims falsely represented that Tomczak had personally provided the services, wrote federal officials.

In return for Tomczak billing the services, Epps agreed to pay Tomczak 25 percent of the amount Medicaid paid Tomczak, authorities wrote Friday.

Between April 2019 and November 2022, Medicaid paid Tomczak $330,547.71 for fraudulent claims for services purportedly provided by Epps that were billed under Tomczak’s provider number, officials said.

At some point during their scheme, Tomczak expressed concerns to Epps about the number and frequency of services that Epps told Tomczak she was providing, authorities said.

At about this time, Epps entered into a similar agreement with Shawn Tyson, a LADC in Connecticut, whereby Tyson would use his Medicaid provider number to submit claims to Medicaid for services Epps purportedly provided to Medicaid clients, federal officials said.

Medicaid paid Tyson $663,081.32 for claims that falsely represented Tyson had personally provided services, or falsely represented that services had been provided when, in fact, they were not provided at all, officials said.

Authorities said Epps has agreed to pay more than $1 million in restitution to the Connecticut Medicaid program.

Epps will be sentenced Jan. 31, 2025, at which time Epps faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

She is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.

Tomczak and Tyson have pleaded guilty to related charges and await sentencing.

For the full announcement, click on this link.