Tasha S. Saunders, a 44-year-old resident of Parkville, Maryland, has admitted to defrauding the Maryland Medicaid program. She pled guilty to submitting false claims for mental health services, amounting to over $3.6 million in fraudulent charges. These claims were made for services that were never actually provided.
Saunders, who had previously been convicted of Medicaid fraud in 2021, persisted in her fraudulent activities. She engaged in forging signatures, stealing identities, and fabricating patient records. Consequently, she recently pleaded guilty on February 25, 2025, and is awaiting sentencing on July 21, 2025.
According to a news release issued on Tuesday, March 4, Attorney General Anthony G. Brown made an announcement regarding the guilty plea of Tasha S. Saunders. Saunders, a 44-year-old resident of Parkville, Maryland, pleaded guilty to two counts of defrauding the Maryland Medicaid program. She was found to have billed for mental health services for Medicaid recipients that were never actually provided, resulting in a fraudulent amount totaling over $3.6 million.
Between November 2019 and September 2024, two behavioral health companies operated by Saunders engaged in fraudulent activities. These activities involved submitting false claims for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program (PRP) services, which resulted in Maryland Medicaid reimbursing $3,672,958.66 for services that were never provided. The PRP program, administered through the Behavioral Health Administration of the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), offers comprehensive rehabilitation and recovery services for individuals with serious mental health conditions in the community. Saunders committed Medicaid fraud by forging signatures, creating fictitious patient records, and exploiting the identities of unsuspecting healthcare providers and Medicaid recipients.
Attorney General Brown expressed his strong disapproval of the misconduct, stating that it is an insult to the one in five Marylanders who depend on Medicaid for their health coverage. He emphasized that these crimes not only harm the most vulnerable residents of the state but also the healthcare providers who diligently care for them. Attorney General Brown made it clear that he is determined to protect the funding of this crucial program, as it plays a vital role in enabling people to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
Saunders has been convicted of Medicaid fraud before. In May 2021, she pleaded guilty to Felony Medicaid Fraud for running two mental health companies. In her previous case, Saunders confessed to fabricating patient files, identity theft of licensed counselors, and submitting false claims to Medicaid for PRP services that were never rendered. The court sentenced her to nine months in prison, followed by nine months of home detention, five years of supervised probation, and a restitution payment of $470,744.67.
On June 20, 2022, Saunders faced the consequences of her conviction as she was placed on the Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Exclusion List. The HHS-OIG has the power to exclude individuals and entities from participating in federal healthcare programs and receiving payment, particularly those convicted of criminal offenses related to the delivery of healthcare services under state programs. It is important to note that Medicaid is one such federally funded healthcare program. Despite being on the Exclusion List, Saunders resorted to deception by providing false information on her Medicaid provider application, attempting to conceal her involvement with the newly established companies. With her fraudulent activities, Saunders replicated her scheme by engaging in forgery and identity theft, perpetuating the same type of fraud.
Throughout the investigation, the state carried out around twelve search warrants to obtain email records, cloud storage accounts, and cell phone data. These records uncovered an intricate scheme involved in creating counterfeit patient records, which were essential for billing Maryland Medicaid. Additionally, the state conducted interviews with multiple Medicaid recipients who had no knowledge of the companies managed by Saunders or the services billed under their names.
To carry out the fraudulent scheme, Saunders unlawfully obtained the identities of genuine mental health providers, including respected faculty members from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Without their consent or knowledge, she orchestrated the production of counterfeit referrals for services and fabricated rehabilitation plans for every recipient that invoices were generated for. These falsified documents were then submitted to the Maryland Department of Health to obtain authorization for billing for PRP services that were never actually provided.
Saunders entered a guilty plea on February 25, 2025, and is set to receive sentencing on July 21, 2025.
Attorney General Brown expressed gratitude to Medicaid Fraud and Vulnerable Victims Unit Chief Zak Shirley, Assistant Attorneys General James M.C. McHale and Catherine Schuster Pascale, Senior Fraud Analyst Paul Kidd, Fraud Analyst Laura Webber, and Senior Investigative Auditor Todd Sheffer for their dedicated efforts in this case. Furthermore, Attorney General Brown extended appreciation to the Office of Inspector General, Health and Human Services Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Andre Jacobs, Special Agent Matt Gray, and the Maryland State Police.
The Medicaid Fraud and Vulnerable Victims Unit of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General has received a grant award of $6,845,828 for the Federal fiscal year (FY) 2025. This funding, which accounts for 75 percent of the unit’s budget, comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The State of Maryland provides the remaining 25 percent of the budget, amounting to $2,281,939 for FY 2025.