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Psychologist Sentenced In Health Care Fraud, Money Laundering Case
A 55-year-old licensed Waco psychologist is headed to prison after pleading guilty to federal health care fraud and money laundering charges in a scheme to defraud the Texas Medicaid program of more than $600,000.
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22 Comments 
WACO (March 11, 2010)—Mercy Chieza, 55, of Hewitt, was sentenced Thursday to 37 months in prison after pleading guilty in December to federal health care fraud and money laundering charges.
Senior U.S. District Judge James R. Nowlin also ordered Chieza to serve three years of supervised release after she completes the prison term and to pay $664,215 in restitution to the Texas Medicaid program, U.S. Attorney John E. Murphy said Thursday.
Chieza, who owned Chieza Psychological Services in Waco, admitted in court that she defrauded the state’s Medicaid program through multiple fraudulent billings, filing claims for services she didn’t personally perform and filing claims for services that weren’t provided at all, Murphy said.
She also admitted billing for services that totaled more than 24 hours in a single day, for services in a single day that amounted to more than double the number of her practice’s businesses hours, and for services rendered on weekends, holidays and at times she was known to be out of town, Murphy said.
Latest Comments
I will still be seeing her and taking my kids to see her. She is excellent at what she does even if she has made mistakes. We all do...we are human. Fogive and move on.
I know her, I am so ashamed, I had no idea she was a fraud, thief. Wow you think you know someone and wham this happens. I hope they put her in jail for the rest of her life, take away her degree too. let her work at Buger King
I AM SO SORRY TO HEAR OF THIS CASE, BUT PSYCHOLOGY SERVICES SHOULD NOT BE FILED ON MEDICARE. MEDICARE IS A JOKE. IF PEOPLE WANT INSURANCE BENEFITS THEY SHOULD GO TO WORK. IF YOU HAVE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM NOW WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG THEY WILL JUST GET WORST AS YOU GET OLDER WITH ALHEIMERS, ORGANIC BRAIN SYNDROME OR OTHER AGING FACTOR AND THAT IS WHAT MEDICARE IS FOR. I AM A DEPRESSED PERSON BUT I STILL MANAGE TO GO TO WORK EVERYDAY AND LET ME TELL YOU THAT IS NOT A EASY THING TO DO. GIVE THE WOMAN A BREAK. WHEN YOU WORK WITH CRAZY PEOPLE; YOU CAN'T HELP BUT FREAK OUT YOURSELF.
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