Jefferson County woman sentenced to probation, ordered to pay nearly $70,000 for Medicaid and unemployment insurance fraud

Jefferson County woman sentenced to probation, ordered to pay nearly $70,000 for Medicaid and unemployment insurance fraud

Dec. 9, 2024 (DENVER) - Danielle Martinez, 32, was sentenced to 10 years' probation and 100 hours of community service for defrauding the state's Medicaid and unemployment insurance systems, Attorney General Phil Weiser announced today. The Jefferson County District Court judge also ordered her to pay a total of $69,864 in restitution to the state. Martinez pleaded guilty to felony theft and Medicaid fraud in October.

From 2019 to 2023, Martinez was paid by Medicaid to provide home health care aid services to her mother. She reported to the state that she provided care between four and seven hours a day, seven days a week.

From 2020 to 2021, at the same time Martinez was supposed to be providing care for her mother, she also filed for unemployment with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, or CDLE. Her claims for unemployment were flagged and subsequently CDLE, the Colorado Unemployment Fraud Task Force, and the Colorado Attorney General's Office opened a joint investigation.

The state's investigation found that Martinez was not at her mother's home during times when she claimed she was providing care. An analysis of cell phone data showed that she was only near her mother's home around twice a month, not seven days a week as she claimed. In addition to the payments from Medicaid, Martinez was also working and earning wages while claiming unemployment benefits.

"Medicaid and unemployment insurance are critical lifelines. Those who defraud these systems to make a quick buck are victimizing Coloradans who lean on these important programs," Weiser said. "This sentence is yet another example of how we are holding accountable those who defraud taxpayers."

The Colorado Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $3,858,544.00 for Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,286,181.00 for FY 2025, is funded by the State of Colorado.

Martinez's case was filed in Jefferson County District Court, case number 2024CR000417.

Coloradans who know of or suspect false Medicaid claims, unemployment insurance fraud, or any other fraud or scam, are encouraged to file a complaint with the attorney general at StopFraudColorado.gov.

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Media Contact:
Elliot Goldbaum
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(720) 508-6769 office | (303) 990-6691 cell
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