Opinion ID: 2426901
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Girod's Ties to the Fraudulent Documents Submitted by Lee

Text: Girod challenges her convictions first on the ground that there was no evidence connecting her to the fraudulent PCS forms submitted to Medicaid by Lee. To prove health care fraud, the Government had to prove that Girod knowingly and willfully executed a scheme to defraud any health care benefit program. 18 U.S.C. § 1347(1). To prove conspiracy, the Government had to show that she conspired with at least one other person to defraud the United States and that one conspirator committed any act to effect the object of the conspiracy. 18 U.S.C. § 371. Specifically, Girod argues there was no evidence she was directly involved or participate[d] in any manner in the conspiracy as there was no proof offered that [she] actually authored or signed any of the documents filed with Medicaid. The Government is not required, however, to show that Girod herself submitted the forms to Medicaid in order to charge her with Medicaid fraud and conspiracy. The indictment charged Girod with creating false time sheets and PCS daily schedules for services she claimed to have witnessed for her children, with being paid by ANBNO and Lee for creating fraudulent documentation to support billings to Medicaid, and charged that in general false time sheets were made and ANBNO employees were not providing the PCS services claimed. These charges were supported at trial with testimony from Connie Smith, who testified she split her ANBNO check with Girod (for PCS Smith supposedly provided Girod's child but did not) in exchange for Girod giving her blank, pre-signed time sheets. Akasia Lee also testified that Girod filled out false PCS time sheets for her children and split the Medicaid payment with Smith for the PCS services Smith was claiming for Girod's child, and that Lee gave Girod checks from her own personal account for one-half the payment amount Medicaid would reimburse for the services falsely claimed for Girod's children. With respect to Girod's argument that no one testified to recognizing her handwriting on any of the PCS documents submitted to Medicaid, Lee testified that she recognized Girod's handwriting on several training sign-in sheets where Girod signed as ANBNO-employee Charvel Steward. Likewise, Audra Scott testified that Girod signed her name on ANBNO forms. While Lee testified that the time sheets were falsified to conform to Medicaid requirements, the jury could have reasonably inferred from Lee's and Smith's testimony that Girod signed the blank PCS forms she gave to Smith. In sum, there was substantial evidence from which the jury could have concluded that Girod was involved in the conspiracy and that she knowingly and willfully participated in the health care fraud at ANBNO.