Sutherland, Iowa — A Sutherland woman who faced a pair of felony charges, along with two aggravated misdemeanors, following an investigation into Medicaid fraud — has been sentenced.
According to court records, 64-year old Karen Brown was 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 was 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, included Fraudulent Practice In The 3rd Degree, an Aggravated Misdemeanor, in which she was accused of submitting documentation used in billing the State of Iowa for services she allegedly didn’t provide. Court records say Brown was also accused of Tampering With Records, an Aggravated Misdemeanor. She was accused of creating false records documenting services she didn’t provide.
Brown was sentenced to a deferred judgment on the identity theft charge. The charges of Forgery, Fraudulent Practice, and Tampering with Records were dismissed.
