Oak Park Doctor, Niece Accused In $1.2M Medicaid Fraud Case
OAK PARK, IL — A doctor from Oak Park and a Matteson woman are facing charges stemming from accusations they defrauded the state out of more than $1.2 million in Medicaid funds, Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Monday, in a news release.
According to Raoul, 66-year-old Dr. William McMiller and his niece, 36-year-old Jonise Williams, are facing charges in Cook County Circuit Court, including theft of government property by deception and theft of government property by unauthorized control, each a Class X felony punishable by six to 30 years in prison. Each are also facing charges of felony vendor fraud, and felony forgery, according to the news release.
McMiller and Williams also face a fine of up to $25,000 for each charge, Raoul announced.
McMiller is a licensed physician who owns Dr. Bill’s Learning Center, which has two locations in Chicago and Oak Park. According to the news release, both centers offer tutoring services to children and clinical therapy and psychiatric services. According to the news release, Williams handled the billing at Dr. Bill’s Learning Centers, and Williams and McMiller submitted several claims to the Illinois Medicaid program for psychotherapy and medical services that weren't provided.
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"Our Medicaid program serves some of the state’s most vulnerable residents and children,” Raoul stated, in the news release. “I am committed to partnering with other agencies to take action against individuals who use the program to defraud the people of Illinois.”
The Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud Control Unit opened the investigation after receiving a referral from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) Office of the Inspector General, the news release said. The HFS Office of the Inspector General then raised an allegation of fraud against McMiller based on the "normal number of service hours that he billed each day," the news release stated.
“Our top priority — especially during this fight against COVID — is to use Medicaid funds to help people in our state access the quality healthcare they deserve,” Theresa Eagleson, Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services stated, in the news release. “The OIG’s vigilance in referring potential fraud defends our dollars against abuse and enables HFS to continue empowering people and families to live healthier lives.”
According to the news release, Patrick Conlon, Acting Inspector General at the Department of Healthcare and Family Services said they've been aggressive in their efforts to crack down on these crimes and will "continue to work collaboratively with our Medicaid fraud partners to protect Medicaid recipients and Illinois taxpayers.”
“The Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates allegations like these every day to ensure that resources allotted to provide care to those who need it the most are not diverted to providers who try to game the system for financial gain,” ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly said, according to the news release.
Assistant Attorney General Elisa Hamilton is handling the case for Raoul’s Medicaid Fraud Bureau, the news release added.
This article originally appeared on the Oak Park-River Forest Patch
