ATLANTA - Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker announced today that on Wednesday, September 9, 1998, Patricia Maynard, M.D., after earlier pleading guilty to felony charges of Medicaid fraud and tax evasion, was sentenced in Bibb Superior Court to five years imprisonment, followed by ten years probation. She is required to pay $188,000 restitution to the Medicaid program and $5,432 restitution to the Georgia Department of Revenue.

During a ten-month period Maynard obtained approximately $384,000 from the Medicaid program for allegedly providing family psychotherapy to Medicaid recipients. An investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Audits, and the Department of Medical Assistance revealed that mothers were told that Maynard had after-school and summer programs at Spring Villa Personal Care Home in Macon. The mothers were also informed that their children would receive tutoring, supervised recreation and field trips and that their Medicaid recipient numbers were needed to pay for snacks, van transportation, and emergency medical care.

The mothers were not aware that Maynard diagnosed the children with mental disorders and billed Medicaid for family psychotherapy to the children. The investigation also revealed that Maynard billed Medicaid for children that were not even present at Spring Villa Personal Care Home.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Attorney General Harrison Kohler, with the cooperation and assistance of Bibb County District Attorney Charles Weston.