Hudson woman indicted for Medicaid fraud

Feb. 17—A Hudson woman has been indicted for Medicaid fraud after allegedly submitting false claims to steal thousands of dollars.

A Merrimack County grand jury on Wednesday indicted Stacey Hayes, 49, on charges of theft by deception, Medicaid fraud (false claims) and Medicaid fraud (false records), according to a news release from the Attorney General's Office.

The indictments allege that between September 2020, and the following September, Hayes created false records to document expenses for Medicaid services, and then filed false claims for payments amounting to $1,500. Hayes also allegedly submitted fraudulent mileage reimbursement forms for 337 medical appointments "that did not exist," for a total of $7,232, the news release said.

The maximum penalty for theft by deception, a Class A felony, is 7 1/2 to 15 years in state prison. The false claims and false records charges, both Class B felonies, are punishable by 3 1/2 to 7 years in state prison.

A hearing is set for Feb. 27 in Merrimack County Superior Court.