Counseling Duo Charged in Scheme to Defraud Medicaid

Editor’s note: We published this story earlier in the week, but here it is again in case you missed it.

Two women associated with a Vernon counseling practice were arrested and charged with bilking Medicaid out of thousands of dollars by charging the government health insurance program for sessions that were either conducted by an unlicensed social worker or not at all.

Dana L. DeCillis, 38, of South View Drive in Southwick, MA, who operated Blissful Journeys Psychotherapy, LLC, in Vernon, was charged with one count each of larceny in the first degree by defrauding a public community, attempted larceny in the second degree by defrauding a public community, and insurance fraud.

Shawna J. Schnitzke, 36, of Old Stafford Road in Tolland, was charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit larceny in the first degree by defrauding a public community, conspiracy to commit attempted larceny in the second degree by defrauding a public community, and insurance fraud.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, DeCillis was authorized to bill Medicaid for counseling she provided as a licensed professional counselor. Schnitzke, an unlicensed social worker, was not authorized to bill for services she rendered.

The warrant alleges that the two women agreed to bill Medicaid for counseling provided by Schnitzke by claiming DeCillis had done the work. Additionally, the warrant states, they used patient Medicaid information to bill for visits and services that never occurred, and even bragged to others that they had devised a way to get paid for much more work than was actually performed.

The loss to the Medicaid program due to the fraudulent billings was $30,423, according to the warrant.

DeCillis and Schnitzke were arrested Wednesday by inspectors from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney. They were released on $10,000 non-surety bond each.

Schnitzke is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on July 1 and DeCillis is scheduled to appear on July 6.

Larceny in the first degree by defrauding a public community and conspiracy to commit larceny in the first degree by defrauding a public community are both class B felonies punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Larceny in the second degree by defrauding a public community and conspiracy to commit larceny in the second degree by defrauding a public community are both class C felonies punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Insurance fraud is a class D felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

The case will be prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.