MONTAGUE, Mich. — A Montague woman is facing a charge of Medicaid fraud after allegedly submitting a false claim.
Julia Bland, 28, was arraigned in an Ingham County courtroom on a single charge of Medicaid Fraud-False Claim, a four-year felony. The charges were announced by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Friday.
Bland is accused of submitting false claims while providing in-home care for a Medicaid beneficiary.
The alleged false claims happened between Feb. 26, 2023 and July 13, 2023.
Investigators say they discovered that Bland was using her smartphone to report the dates and hours she provided services for the beneficiary. Some of those logged hours on her timecard were allegedly false.
Investigators claim that the GPS location on her phone shows that Bland was not at the beneficiary's home during times when she submitted claims for service.
"Providing Medicaid-funded in-home care is critical to keeping vulnerable people in their own homes as long as possible," said Nessel. “Caregivers who use the program to commit fraud will be held accountable.”
Bland was given a $50,000 bond and is scheduled for a probable cause conference on May 31 at 8:30 a.m.
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