WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A Wichita father-daughter couple was ordered to pay more than $30,000 in restitution over Medicaid fraud charges.
According to Attorney General Kris Kobach, in December 2022, Johnson Kongvongsay pleaded guilty to one felony count of making false claims, representations or representations to the Medicaid program and one felony misdemeanor involving computers.
Kongvongsay was originally sentenced to 18 months in prison, but the sentence was suspended. The AG says Kongvongsay has since been ordered to repay the Kansas Medicaid program $14,857.78 and serve 12 months of supervised probation.
According to Attorney General Kris Kobach, in December 2022, Kyla Kongvongsay pleaded guilty to one felony count of making a false statement, statement, or declaration to the Medicaid program and one felony misdemeanor involving computers.
Retired Sedgwick County Judge Ben Burgess accepted the two counts appeal and ordered Kyla Kongvongsay to repay the Kansas Medicaid program $16,089.67. She also sentenced her to 12 months of probation.
The AG says an investigation revealed Kongvongsay and her daughter, Kyla Kongvongsay, were working as personal assistants for a relative who is on Medicaid. Investigators found that the father and daughter were filing false statements, claiming they were providing personal assistance services to the relative when in fact they held other jobs. Investigators found that he had committed $30,947.45 worth of fraud.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Eve Kemple of Kobach’s office prosecuted the cases against Johnson Kongvongsay and Kyla Kongvongsay.
“The cases are part of “Operation Keeping Them Honest,” a cooperative effort between the Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Office of the Inspector General to investigate fraudulent Medicaid billing for personal assistance services provided in Medicaid beneficiary homes,” the attorney general’s office said. “This ruling concludes the latest case in this joint effort to crack down on those who take advantage of these federal and state health care programs. To date, nine cases have been filed with the court and six have reached the sentencing stage.
Other investigations are ongoing.
The cases are being investigated jointly by federal and state authorities and being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Division.
