Ringleader of Worcester home health fraud scheme pleads guilty
Image | Courtesy of Alison Kuznitz, State House News Service
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell speaks to reporters.
After being charged along with three others in April 2024, the ringleader of a scheme to steal personal information from disabled, elderly, and unhoused individuals to bill for false home health services in the Worcester area has pleaded guilty and will face up to three years in prison.
Felix Mercedes, a 35-year-old resident of Worcester, agreed to plead guilty on Thursday to billing MassHealth for more than $500,000 of services that were never provided, according to a Sep. 15 press release from the office of Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.
Mercedes was sentenced to one to three years in state prison, five years of probation, ordered to pay $500,000 in restitution, and barred from any future responsibilities related to MassHealth or working with the elderly or disabled.
“MassHealth serves our most vulnerable residents including our seniors, ensuring they have access to high-quality home healthcare services,” Campbell said in the press release. “As in this case and future matters, our Medicaid Fraud Division will continue to protect these taxpayer-funded programs and hold accountable those who intentionally seek to defraud our seniors and the MassHealth program.”
The scheme dated back until at least 2019 and saw Mercedes and co-conspirators falsely bill MassHealth for at least 17 different members. Proceeds were used on personal expenses, including jewelry, luxury goods from brands like Gucci and Coach, and a downpayment on a home in Worcester.
The press release did not include details on the result of the charges against Elizabeth Betances Rosario, Yaneris Mercedes De Rivera, and Yenifer Barrera, all residents of Worcester who were charged along with Mercedes in 2024.
The investigation was handled by the Medicaid Fraud Division of the Office of the Attorney General, with assistance from the Worcester Police Department and federal authorities.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
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