Fraud charges: Care coordinator for Minnesota county wrongly billed $185K in 3-year Medicaid scam

A care coordinator is facing seven felony theft charges after reportedly billing over $185,000 for services not provided to a patient.

Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office announced the charges on Thursday, accusing Jessica Jean Arneson of stealing more than $185,000 through false billing while operating as a Medicaid care coordinator in Mower County.

Working through Blue Plus, she previously provided case management for qualified Medicaid recipients in southern Minnesota from May of 2020 until August of 2023.

As part of their duties, Arneson and other case managers can be reimbursed for the time they spend coordinating care for persons with behavioral health needs, such as connecting clients to services, advocating for their needs, and facilitating support services for treatment.

Arneson was supposed to prepare and submit documentation of her work that Mower County subsequently converted into claims and sub...