The Attorney General’s Office announced that Amy Trela, 48, and Alicia Russell, 30, of Chittenden County, Vermont, have pled guilty to criminal charges of theft through false pretenses as part of a negotiated resolution of charges stemming from a five-year conspiracy to defraud Vermont Medicaid. Ms. Trela pled before Judge Michael S. Kupersmith on September 13, 2024, and Ms. Russell pled before Judge John L. Pacht yesterday.
The charges brought against Ms. Trela and her co-conspirator, Ms. Russell, are the result of an investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU), which found that the defendants falsely certified Medicaid timesheets, defrauding Vermont Medicaid of $62,860.84 in public health care funds since 2019.
Trela and Russell, who were arraigned in July, accepted responsibility for their roles in the crime, and agreed to repay the defrauded funds, to perform 50 and 25 hours of community service respectively, to not work as Medicaid agent or contractors, and to serve a term of probation until they complete those conditions.
If you suspect someone of defrauding the Vermont Medicaid program, please make a report to MFRAU at https://ago.vermont.gov/medicaid-fraud-report-form or by email at AGO.MedicaidFraud@vermont.gov.
The Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $1,332,724 for Federal fiscal year FY 2025. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $444,241 for FY 2025, is funded by the State of Vermont.
CONTACT: Amelia Vath, Outreach and Communications Coordinator, 802-828-3171