Stratford Woman Charged With Health Care Fraud Again: Feds

STRATFORD, CT — A Stratford woman who was awaiting sentencing in a health care fraud case was arrested on another health care fraud charge, according to officials.

Nicole Steiner, formerly known as Nicole Balkas, was arrested Monday on a criminal complaint charging her with committing health care fraud after pleading guilty and while released on bond in another health care fraud case, according to U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Leonard C. Boyle.

Steiner, 32, appeared in federal court in Bridgeport and was released on a $250,000 bond into home detention and under electronic monitoring, officials said.

Steiner pleaded guilty in April 2021 to one count of health care fraud related to her operation of Helping Hands Academy, LLC, in Bridgeport, which provided “applied behavior analysis services to children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder,” and was enrolled as a participating provider in the Connecticut Medicaid Program, according to a news release.

“From December 2018 to October 2020, Steiner submitted and caused to be submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid for applied behavior analysis services that were purportedly provided to Medicaid clients,” officials wrote in the news release. “She submitted claims for dates of service when no applied behavior analysis services of any kind had been provided to the Medicaid clients identified in the claims, and she inflated the number of hours for certain claims even when applied behavior analysis had been provided to the Medicaid clients identified in the claims.

“Steiner also submitted false Medicaid claims in 2020 using a former employee’s name and performing provider number.”

After the Connecticut Department of Social Services, which administers the Medicaid program in Connecticut, terminated Helping Hands Academy as a provider, Steiner made “several false statements and submitted an altered document to DSS in an effort to rescind the termination and to receive payment for previously submitted claims,” according to officials.

Officials said Medicaid suffered a loss of $551,312 as a result of Steiner’s admitted conduct.

After her guilty plea, Steiner was released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.

While she was awaiting sentencing in her case, Steiner is accused of being a “silent partner” in another company that provided applied behavior analysis services to children diagnosed with ASD called New Beginnings Children’s Behavioral Health LLC., according to the release.

“Steiner was responsible for billing claims to Medicaid, managing payroll, and recruiting and screening potential employees, and she and had access to and used her business partner’s email and other online accounts to operate the company,” officials wrote. “Steiner and the company engaged in health care fraud by billing Medicaid for thousands of dollars in services not rendered and, in particular, billing for services not rendered by Steiner.”

If convicted of the new charge, Steiner faces a maximum prison term of 10 years, which must be imposed consecutively to the sentence she receives in her initial health care fraud case, according to officials.

The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General and the FBI. Boyle acknowledged the “valuable cooperation of the Connecticut Department of Social Services in the investigation.”

Anyone who suspects health care fraud is encouraged to report it by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS.

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