ATLANTA - Attorney General Thurbert Baker announced today that Robert and Delores House, a married couple residing in Fayette County, were convicted yesterday evening in Fayette County Superior Court of Medicaid fraud and conspiracy to defraud the state. Senior Judge Andrew J. Whalen sentenced the pair to the maximum allowable sentence of ten years in prison for Medicaid fraud, a concurrent five year sentence for conspiracy to defraud the state, and awarded the state treble damages of $1.1 million against the defendants. Assistant Attorney General Scott Smeal prosecuted the case.

"I will not stand for anyone defrauding the taxpayers by abusing a program meant to help Georgia's most vulnerable citizens," Baker said. "When we find that someone has been stealing from the Medicaid program, we will prosecute them, ask for a stiff prison sentence, and seek damages to recoup the stolen money for the taxpayers," he continued.