Nurses, aides charged with Medicaid fraud, stealing patients’ drugs

Ten nurses and aides — including four from Sedgwick and Butler counties — have been charged with Medicaid fraud and stealing controlled medications from patients, the Kansas attorney general’s office has announced.

All the charges involve theft of drugs and/or mistreatment of patients by workers in health-care and board-and-care facilities.

“The cases were filed as part of a statewide sweep by the attorney general’s office cracking down on illegal and harmful activity in Kansas facilities that receive Medicaid funding,” said a statement issued by the prosecutor’s office.

Here are the charges filed against Sedgwick and Butler County health workers:

▪ Jamie Rodriguez, Sedgwick County — one count of Medicaid fraud, one count of theft, two counts of felony possession of a controlled substance, one count of felony making a false information and one count of felony mistreatment of a dependent adult.

Rodriguez is accused of making false claims for medication and services at Premier Living by Warden in Wichita between May and July, according to Sedgwick County District Court documents. Other charges allege Rodriguez stole oxycodone and morphine while also mistreating a dependent adult by depriving that person of medications.

▪ Jessica Jo Washington, Sedgwick County — two counts of Medicaid fraud, one count of theft, one count of felony possession of a controlled substance and one count of felony mistreatment of a dependent adult.

Washington, a certified medication aide, is alleged to have stolen Norco-brand hydrocodone, according to court documents. Other counts allege that in July Washington battered and mistreated a dependent adult who resided at Meadowlark Adult Care Home.

▪ Melissa Ann Seiber, Sedgwick County — one count of Medicaid fraud, one count of theft and one count of felony possession of a controlled substance.

Seiber, a licensed practical nurse, is accused of stealing Norco-brand hydrocodone in June from a facility receiving Medicaid funding and from a resident patient who was a Medicaid beneficiary, court documents state. The criminal complaint does not specify where the alleged crimes took place, but Kansas Masonic Homes personnel are listed among the prosecution’s witnesses.

▪ Nicole Pechanec, Butler County — one count of Medicaid fraud, one count of theft, one count of felony possession of a controlled substance, one count of felony mistreatment of a dependent adult and one count of forgery.

In addition, there were two cases in Wyandotte County and one each in Johnson, Doniphan, Norton and Miami counties.

This story was originally published September 26, 2018 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Nurses, aides charged with Medicaid fraud, stealing patients’ drugs."