FRANKFORT, Ky. (February 3, 2021) – Attorney General Daniel Cameron today announced an investigation and prosecution conducted by his Medicaid Fraud Unit within the Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control resulted in the conviction of a Calvert City couple for defrauding the Kentucky Medical Assistance Program (Medicaid) of nearly $8,000.
“Medicaid theft and fraud can contribute to rising healthcare costs, and we’re doing all we can to put an end to abuse within the system,” said Attorney General Cameron. “I appreciate the collaboration of the Department of Aging and Independent Living in this case and the work of our attorneys David Startsman and Dee Miller.”
During the course of their investigation, the Medicaid Fraud Unit discovered that Melissa Dufay, who was a Medicaid recipient enrolled in the Home and Community Based Waiver Program, employed her husband Ray Dufay. Together, the couple prepared and submitted fraudulent timesheets for Mr. Dufay for over a year.
Last November, in Marshall Circuit Court, Melissa and Ray Dufay each pled guilty to one count of devising or engaging in a scheme to defraud Medicaid of $300 or more, a Class D Felony. Ray Dufay was also convicted of one count of theft by deception over $500 but less than $10,000, a Class D Felony.
On January 29, Judge James T. Jameson sentenced the Dufays to five years on each count, probated for five years, and ordered them to pay $7,705 in restitution to the Kentucky Medical Assistance Program. Ray Dufay was also sentenced to six months of home incarceration.
The Medicaid Fraud Unit, along with the Department of Aging and Independent Living within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, investigated the case. David Startsman and Dee Miller represented the Commonwealth at sentencing.
To file a Medicaid fraud and abuse complaint, visit ag.ky.gov/Medicaidfraud or call the Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Hotline at 1-877-ABUSE TIP (1-877-228-7384).