Newtown Psychologist Pleads Guilty, Must Pay $80K: State

NEWTOWN, CT — A Newtown psychologist and advanced registered nurse has pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicaid by billing the government health insurance program for thousands of dollars.

Jeannie Pasacreta, 66, of Abbey Lane, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Hartford Superior Court to one count of health insurance fraud, according to a news release from the state's Division of Criminal Justice.

An investigation by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney determined that over a two-year period beginning in 2016, Pasacreta, through her firm Mental Health Services, LLC., billed Medicaid for hundreds of claims for services that were never rendered.

Based on patient schedules, Medicaid payment histories, and 15 patients' recollections, among other information, the investigation concluded that the defendant fraudulently billed the Medicaid program and received $79,418.77 in Medicaid payments that she was not entitled to receive. The court ordered Pasacreta to pay that amount in restitution.