Maryland Woman Admits to $3.6 Million Medicaid Fraud Scheme

A Parkville, MD woman has pleaded guilty to defrauding the Maryland Medicaid program of more than $3.6 million by billing for mental health services that were never provided. Tasha S. Saunders, 44, admitted to submitting fraudulent claims for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program (PRP) services through two behavioral health companies she operated between November 2019 and September 2024. Saunders used forged signatures, fake patient records, and stolen identities to carry out the scheme.

PRP services, administered by the Behavioral Health Administration of the Maryland Department of Health, offer community-based rehabilitation and recovery services for individuals with serious mental health conditions. Saunders’ actions resulted in $3,672,958.66 in reimbursements for non-existent services. Investigators found a sophisticated system of fake patient records and uncovered numerous Medicaid recipients who were unaware of the services billed under their names. Saunders also stole the identities of legitimate mental health providers, including faculty at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

This was not Saunders’ first offense. In 2021, she pleaded guilty to a similar Medicaid fraud case involving other mental health companies, resulting in nine months of incarceration, home detention, five years of supervised probation, and an order to pay $470,744.67 in restitution. Despite being placed on the Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General Exclusion List in 2022, which barred her from participating in federal healthcare programs, Saunders continued her fraudulent activities by lying on Medicaid provider applications and replicating her previous scheme.

The investigation involved nearly a dozen search warrants and revealed extensive evidence of fake patient records and unauthorized use of healthcare providers’ identities. Saunders’ sentencing is scheduled for July 21, 2025. The case was handled by Maryland’s Medicaid Fraud and Vulnerable Victims Unit with support from federal and state law enforcement agencies. The unit is partially funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Article by multiple RFHC contributors.

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