A 49-year-old Waterbury man has been arrested and charged with a scheme to defraud Medicaid of nearly $2,800 by allegedly claiming to provide at-home care to an elderly disabled man who was actually in a nursing home.

Investigators arrested Albert Haddad and charged him Friday with one count each of health insurance fraud and first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community. Haddad was released on a $15,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court Nov. 6. Both charges are Class B felonies punishable by up five years in prison.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Chief State's Attorneys Office opened up an investigation of Haddad after receiving a complaint from the state Department of Social Services. The investigation found that Haddad allegedly submitted 29 time sheets for payment from Medicaid from August to September 2015. He then allegedly submitted eight more time sheets for payment during the 11-day period between Oct. 1 and Oct. 12, 2015. Authorities said Haddad was paid a total of $2,758 to  deliver home health care to a man only identified as “L.S.,” who was actually at a skilled nursing facility, Waterbury Nursing and Rehab LLC.

According to the affidavit, L.S. told investigators that “Albert Haddad did not work for him while he was in the hospital or Nursing and Rehab, that he knew better than that.” The investigation also showed that L.S. was not at his home during the time Haddad claimed he was with him and provided at-home personal care assistant services.

The affidavit also states that investigators spoke to Haddad on the telephone on Sept. 27 and he was advised of the investigation. The affidavit says Haddad agreed to meet with authorities on Oct. 1 and never showed up. The same thing, the affidavit said, happened on Oct. 2. He was eventually arrested on Friday.

The case will be prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, with the investigation assisted by the state Department of Social Services Office of Quality Assurance and the Waterbury Police Department.

As of Monday morning, it could not be determined if Haddad was represented by counsel.

Mark Dupuis, communications officer for the state Division of Criminal Justice, said the press release and arrest warrant affidavit speak for themselves.

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