From the Attorney General’s Office

RALEIGH — Attorney General Josh Stein announced Monday that Rosa Powell pled guilty to two felonies involving a scheme to defraud Medicaid and pay illegal kickbacks.

Powell was sentenced to 60 months on supervised probation in Pitt County court and faces 12 to 17 months in prison if she violates her probation. She also will restore $49,438.48 to taxpayers via the state’s Medicaid fund.

“People engaging in this type of criminal behavior drive up health care costs for all of us,” Stein said. “Billing Medicaid for services not provided wastes taxpayer money. I will continue to do everything in my power to hold accountable any health care provider that defrauds Medicaid.”

Powell’s conviction comes after her in-home, personal-care service business billed Medicaid for daily care and cleaning services that were not provided to Medicaid recipients. Powell directed her staff to falsify timesheets and service notes to support these fraudulent billing claims. Powell also paid Medicaid recipients illegal kickbacks to use her business and to refer new clients to her business.

Powell is a registered nurse who owned and operated Designing the Future Home Care Inc., in Greenville, North Carolina. Designing the Future Home Care Inc. provided in-home personal care services for Medicaid recipients who need help with daily living tasks such as cooking, cleaning, bathing and hygiene.

This conviction was obtained with the assistance of the N.C. Department of Justice, Medicaid Investigations Division, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, the N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Medical Assistance-Program Integrity and the Honorable Kimberly S. Robb, district attorney for prosecutorial district 3A.