Attorney General's News Release

June 13, 2012

AG Koster: Licensed clinical social worker pleads guilty to Medicaid fraud

Jefferson City, Mo. – Attorney General Chris Koster said today that a St. Louis licensed clinical social worker, Abdullah Jamaal M. Ali, pleaded guilty yesterday to three counts of Medicaid fraud in St. Charles County for submitting false claims to Medicaid for counseling services that he did not perform.

St. Charles Circuit Judge Nancy Schneider accepted Ali’s plea and convicted him of three Class C felonies of Medicaid fraud. She sentenced Ali, formerly known as Gerald P. LaMotte, to the Missouri Department of Corrections for a term of five years on each of the three counts, to be served concurrently. In addition to the prison term, Ali paid restitution and double damages totaling $25,230. Ali also agreed to surrender his Medicaid provider number permanently.

Koster’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated and prosecuted the case, finding that Ali submitted claims to Medicaid representing that he provided:

• family therapy to children when the children’s family members/guardians were unavailable for the session, such as times they were at work;
• therapy services to two different children at two different locations at the exact same time;
• in-home therapy to children after 9:00 p.m., but the children’s families reported that Ali was never at their home after 9:00 p.m.

“The Medicaid program relies on the honesty and integrity of its providers and must count on the accuracy of the billing statements it receives,” Koster said. “Providers who bill for services they never rendered will face fines, penalties, expulsion from the program and criminal prosecution – including jail time.”

Koster encourages citizens to report suspected Medicaid provider fraud or abuse and neglect to his Medicaid Fraud Hotline toll free at 800-286-3932, e-mail the complaint to attorney.general@ago.mo.gov or complete a complaint form at the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Website at http://ago.mo.gov/divisions/medicaid-fraud-control-unit-faqs.htm.