Former Medicaid supervisor sentenced to 18 months in federal prison

A former Medicaid supervisor has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

Yolanda Brooks, 52, of Indianapolis was also ordered to serve three years on probation after her prison stay and pay $920,148.51 in restitution. She was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson.

The court recommended Brooks be incarcerated at a medical facility where “her extreme medical issues can be addressed.” Court papers did not disclose those issues.

According to court records, Brooks was employed by a business identified as “Company A” as a Medicaid supervisor from December 2005 until July 2, 2020. Online records show that Brooks, under her her maiden name Yolanda Mohid, worked for the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services. CHIP is an acronym for the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Investigators said Brooks’ responsibilities included processing medical care claims to be paid by Medicaid and other medical insurance carriers.  As part of her job, she had access to checks in the possession of her employer, which were to be processed as refunds or reimbursements to their clients.

According to the investigation, between March 2018 and July 2021, Brooks took about 486 checks mailed to her employer in the total amount of $920,148.51 and deposited them into her two personal bank account she set up at Key Bank.

Court documents show Brooks owes restitution to at least 18 victims, including more than $553,000 to Ascension, $106,000 to CVS Drugs, $92,000 to Franciscan and $48,000 to Community Health.

Investigators said she used that money for her own personal purposes, including shopping at Victoria’s Secret, casino gambling and luxury vacations.

Court documents show Brooks faced as much as 20 years in prison for her crime.

“Nearly 500 times, this defendant abused her position of trust to steal nearly a million dollars intended to pay people’s health care costs,” U.S. Attorney Zach Myers said in written comments. “Our office is committed to working with our partners at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to hold fraudsters accountable. The serious federal prison sentence imposed here should serve as a warning to any who might consider engaging in this sort of scheme: you will be caught, you will be prosecuted, and you will potentially go to federal prison.”