The Attorney General’s Office announced that Kristen Connolly, 56, of Jeffersonville, Vermont, was sentenced yesterday in Vermont Superior Court, Lamoille Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to misdemeanor Abuse of a Vulnerable Adult, Driving Under the Influence, and Leaving the Scene of a Crash, and felony Medicaid Fraud.
Ms. Connolly was an independent mental health and substance abuse counselor and Medicaid provider in St. Albans, Vermont. Ms. Connolly failed to keep the records required by law for therapy services she claimed to have provided to clients, and billed Medicaid for numerous sessions where she did not provide patients with services from 2019 to 2021.
In addition to committing Medicaid Fraud, in May of 2022, Ms. Connolly struck a telephone pole while driving in Cambridge, Vermont. Ms. Connolly left the scene of the crash, and when officers stopped her a short time later, they observed her to be heavily intoxicated.
Approximately a year later, in April of 2023, Ms. Connolly was involved in another vehicle accident when she struck a telephone pole in Morristown, Vermont. When officers responded, they observed Ms. Connolly to be heavily intoxicated. Also in the vehicle was a non-verbal, vulnerable adult in Ms. Connolly’s care. Days later, Ms. Connolly billed Medicaid for care she claimed to have provided to the vulnerable adult on the morning of the accident and during her arrest for Driving Under the Influence.
In Lamoille Criminal Division yesterday, Ms. Connolly was convicted and sentenced on misdemeanor Abuse of a Vulnerable Adult, Driving Under the Influence, and Leaving the Scene of a Crash, as well as felony Medicaid Fraud. Ms. Connolly had previously pleaded guilty to the offenses in September of 2024. The plea agreement was reached in cooperation with the Lamoille State’s Attorney’s Office.
The Court, Judge Mary Morrissey presiding, sentenced Ms. Connolly yesterday to a combined sentence of 3-6 years, all suspended except 90 days, and 8 years of probation. The Court also ordered Ms. Connolly to pay restitution to the Department of Vermont Health Access.
Ms. Connolly’s probationary conditions include: screening for mental health and substance abuse treatment; not to possess or consume alcohol or drugs without a valid prescription; to attend counseling; not to have contact with the victims; 100 hours of community service, and participation in restorative justice. As collateral consequences, Ms. Connolly will also be added to the Vermont Abuse Registry and National OIG registry as an excluded provider.
The cases involving Ms. Connolly were jointly investigated by the Secretary of State’s Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont State Police, Morristown Police Department, and the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU).
If you suspect someone is being or has been neglected or abused, contact local law enforcement immediately. Neglect and abuse may also be reported to Adult Protective Services by calling 800-564-1612 and to MFRAU at https://ago.vermont.gov/medicaid-fraud-report-form .
If you suspect Medicaid fraud, contact MFRAU at https://ago.vermont.gov/medicaid-fraud-report-form.
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