DeKalb Woman Sentenced After Being Accused Of Medicaid Fraud: AG

DEKALB COUNTY, GA — A DeKalb County woman pleaded guilty to one county of Medicaid fraud after being accused of submitting falsified claims, Attorney General Chris Carr's office announced Friday.

Superior Court Judge Gregory A. Adams sentenced Janice Cooks to 10 years probation and ordered her to pay $31,519.60 in restitution on Oct. 11, Carr said.

Cooks can no longer practice as a provider of health-care services in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, Carr said.

She was operating Quilt Transitional Consulting and Development Services when she was accused of using her cousin's name, who is a licensed therapist, to submit fraudulent Medicaid claims that listed her cousin as the provider, Carr said.

The cousin was not an employee at Quilt Transitional and did not administer services on the company's behalf, Carr said.

Cooks pleaded guilty in 2019 to theft of government property in the Northern District of Georgia after federal authorities investigated her handling of funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Carr said.

“Janice Cooks sought to defraud our publicly-funded healthcare program and undermined the reputation of a legitimate provider in the process,” Carr said in a news release. “This type of behavior will not be tolerated, and we will continue to vigorously pursue those who abuse a system meant to care for our most vulnerable. Through our Medicaid Fraud Division, our office is working each day to preserve the integrity of Georgia’s Medicaid program and protect taxpayer dollars, no matter the amount.”