A Utah woman has been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to two Medicaid fraud counts.
According to the Utah Attorney General’s Office, Deaun Larson Holdaway, 67, received a sentence in May for second-degree felony fraudulent claims for medical benefits and third-degree felony public assistance fraud.
Holdaway, along with two other suspects, is accused of filing over 7,700 Medicaid claims between March 2019 and June 2022 via a Medicaid provider designated as a behavioral health organization situated in Mt. Pleasant that provides substance abuse treatment. The Utah Attorney General’s Office stated that the claims were for services not delivered by professionals and were falsely documented.
According to reports, the Medicaid provider received more than $12.9 million as a result of the bogus claims. According to a statement from the Utah Attorney General’s Office, none of the services would have been reimbursed if the state’s Medicaid program had known that they were delivered by unqualified individuals using fake records submitted by Holdaway and the two other accused.
“Protecting the Medicaid program against fraud is critical given the limited resources available to provide care for this needy population,” said Kaye Lynn Wootton, the director of the Medicaid Fraud and Patient Abuse Division. “When fraudsters cause false claims to be paid by Medicaid, that reduces resources available to provide care to those who desperately need services.”
The Medicaid Fraud Division discovered evidence that Holdaway received public assistance benefits, such as SNAP, special payments, financial help, and medical assistance, by underreporting her work and income.
“In reality, Holdaway was the third highest paid worker at [the Medicaid provider], receiving compensation of over $1.36 million from January 2019 through August 2022,” the Utah Attorney General’s Office said in a press release.
Holdaway was first charged with three counts of second-degree felony fraudulent claims for medical benefits and one count of second-degree felony public assistance fraud. In exchange for a plea, the court agreed to dismiss two false claims counts and upgrade the public assistance fraud charge to a third-degree felony. A restitution hearing for Holdaway is planned for July 21.
The other suspects in the crime, Lillian Kaye Simiskey (41), and Margaret Krisandra Christie (42), are still awaiting trial.
According to court records, Simiskey has been charged with a second-degree felony pattern of unlawful action, three counts of second-degree criminal fraudulent claims for medical benefits, three charges of second-degree felony tax evasion, and two counts of third-degree felony failure to file a correct tax return. She has a court hearing scheduled for Tuesday, June 17.
Christie has been charged with second-degree felony unlawful action, two counts of second-degree criminal fraudulent medical benefit claims, and one case of second-degree felony public assistance fraud. A jury trial for Christie is set to commence on December 16, 2025.
