Attorney General's News Release

February 23, 2004

Columbia speech therapist pleads guilty to Medicaid fraud; repays state $105,210

Jefferson City, Mo. — A Columbia speech therapist pleaded guilty today to three counts of Medicaid fraud after he admitted submitting false claims for services he did not provide.

Paul M. Foreman (DOB - 9/8/54), who repaid the Medicaid program $105,210 for the false claims, was given 60 days shock confinement and placed on supervised probation for five years. The sentence of four years in prison on each count, concurrent, was suspended by Circuit Judge Donald Barnes pending Foreman successfully completing his probation. Foreman also was ordered to pay $5,625 to the Attorney General's Office for investigative costs.

The three counts of making a false statement to receive a health care payment were filed and prosecuted by Attorney General Jay Nixon through his office's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Nixon charged Foreman with submitting false billings to the Medicaid program indicating he provided speech therapy services to three siblings in Boone County during April and May of 2002 and February 2003, when he had not provided the services.

"Medicaid fraud costs the taxpayers of Missouri millions of dollars," Nixon says. "The message here is that if you defraud the state, we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law."

The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has authority under state law to investigate and prosecute, both civilly and criminally, allegations of fraud against Missouri's Medicaid program.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to Press Secretary John Fougere.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818