Suburban youth counseling center owners indicted on fraud charges for allegedly defrauding Medicaid billing non-reimbursable services

SUMMER MATHESON and TERRENCE EWING, co-owners of Laynie Foundation Inc., and foundation employee RICHARD GRUNDY, have been indicted for fraudulently billed Illinois Medicaid for mental health services not provided. Matheson, Ewing and Grundy also used the Matteson-based foundation to seek payment from Illinois Medicaid for non-reimbursable activities, such as internal case reviews, staff training, clinical supervision and recordkeeping, the indictment alleges. The indictment also accuses Matheson of attempting to cover up the fraud by directing foundation personnel to backdate and falsify patient records to make it appear that a licensed practitioner had reviewed and approved certain mental health services, when, in fact, Matheson knew that a practitioner had not reviewed and approved those services.ΠAs a result of the fraud, Matheson, Ewing and Grundy fraudulently obtained approximately $4 million from Illinois Medicaid and managed-care organizations used by Illinois Medicaid, the indictment states.

The indictment charges Matheson, 41, and Ewing, 57, both of Dyer, Ind., with six counts of health care fraud. Matheson is also charged with one count of obstruction of justice. Grundy, 34, of Chicago, is charged with five counts of health care fraud.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Lamont Pugh III, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Region of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; and Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI. The Illinois Attorney General’s Office and Illinois State Police assisted in the investigation.Œ The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Prashant Kolluri and Charles W. Mulaney.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Illinois Attorney General’s Office previously intervened in a civil lawsuit that a private citizen filed against the foundation pursuant to the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act. The lawsuit is pending in federal court.

Medicaid is a state-administered program, and each state sets its own guidelines regarding eligibility and services. For Illinois Medicaid recipients, funding is shared between the federal government and the State of Illinois.