Great Lakes Wire

A Macomb County resident, Alicia Renee Hackett, has been arraigned in the 54B District Court in East Lansing on charges of Medicaid fraud. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that Hackett faces one count of Medicaid Fraud – Conspiracy, a felony carrying a potential 10-year sentence, and ten counts of Medicaid Fraud – False Claim, each with a possible four-year sentence.

The allegations against Hackett involve misuse of the Medicaid program's mileage reimbursement system. This system compensates beneficiaries for travel to medical appointments. It is claimed that Hackett used an application to manipulate her phone's GPS data to submit fraudulent claims for trips that did not occur. The case was referred to the Attorney General's office by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General.

Attorney General Nessel stated, "The exploitation of technology intended to help some of our state’s most vulnerable residents access medical care is absolutely shameful." She emphasized the importance of holding accountable those who exploit such systems rather than cutting off care for those in need.

Hackett was arrested on June 5 by the Clare County Sheriff’s Office and appeared before Judge Lisa L. Babcock. Her bond was set at $50,000/10%, and she is scheduled for another court appearance on June 18.

The case is being managed by the Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Division (HCFD), which acts as Michigan's federally certified Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The division receives substantial funding from both federal and state sources, with 75% from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and 25% from the State of Michigan.

It should be noted that all criminal charges are considered allegations until proven otherwise in court.