Sutherland, Iowa — A Sutherland woman faces a pair of felony charges, along with two aggravated misdemeanors, following an investigation into Medicaid fraud.
According to court records, 64-year old Karen Brown is charged with Identity Theft, a Class D Felony, for allegedly using another person’s name and signature to obtain payment of Medicaid services. In addition, Brown is also charged with Forgery, a Class D Felony, for allegedly forging the signature of another person on each of two separate claim forms, which were then allegedly submitted for the payment of Medicaid covered services.
Other charges, according to the court filings, include Fraudulent Practice In The 3rd Degree, an Aggravated Misdemeanor, in which she is accused of submitting documentation used in billing the State of Iowa for services she allegedly didn’t provide. Court records say Brown is also accused of Tampering With Records, an Aggravated Misdemeanor. That charge, according to court records, stems from Brown allegedly creating false records documenting services she didn’t provide.
Online court records indicate that a warrant for Brown’s arrest was issued on February 14th, with that warrant being served on Thursday (February 22nd.) Brown reportedly made her initial appearance in court on Thursday, February 22nd, where she was scheduled for a Preliminary Hearing on March 13th at 9:30 am in O’Brien County Magistrate Court.
The case was investigated by the Iowa Medicaid Fraud Unit, according to court records.
