Prospect Heights Man Gets 4 Years In $179K Medicaid Fraud Case

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, IL — A Prospect Heights man who owned a transportation company was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to defrauding Illinois' Medicaid program out of nearly $180,000.

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thomas J. Byrne sentenced Antonio Clay, 42, on Friday after Clay pleaded guilty in April to a Class 1 felony charge of vendor fraud, according to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office.

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Clay formerly owned Clay Transportation.

RELATED: Ex-Owner Of Transportation Biz Pleads Guilty In $179K Medicaid Fraud Case — IL Attorney General

Investigators determined that from January 2018 through May 2022, Clay submitted false Medicaid claims for transportation services involving 18 recipients that were never provided, according to the Attorney General's Office.

Clay received $179,455 through the false claims, prosecutors said. He has already paid $40,000 in restitution to the state Medicaid program.

"Medicaid provides vital healthcare services, including transportation, to millions of Illinois families, seniors and individuals with disabilities,"" Raoul said. "I will continue to work to hold individuals like Clay accountable if they exploit this critical program for their own financial gain."

The case originated with a referral from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Office of Inspector General.

Raoul's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes Medicaid provider fraud, including providers accused of billing the program for services that were not actually provided.

Deputy Bureau Chief Melissa Guske prosecuted the case for the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.