A divorced couple from Dorchester have pled guilty to bilking the state out of $18,000 in Medicaid money by fraudulently billing the state for care. Theodore Gilbert, 54, and his ex-wife Madeline Garcia Gilbert, 51, have both pled guilty in the case, according to the state’s Attorney General’s office.

The charges stem from illegal activity between February 2012 and March 2015, when Theodore submitted claims for, and Madeline approved, PCA services allegedly provided to Madeline’s mother while the woman was in the hospital and after she had died. The Gilberts fraudulently obtained almost $18,000 through this false billing, according to the AG’s Medicaid Fraud Division.

Judge Peter Krupp sentenced Theodore Gilbert to two years in the House of Correction, suspended for a period of three years, and was ordered not to work as a personal care attendant (PCA).  Madeleine Garcia Gilbert was sentenced by Judge Christine Roach to one year in the House of Correction, suspended for a period of three years, and was ordered not to bill for services provided to MassHealth members. A restitution hearing is scheduled for November 20.

“These defendants defrauded the state, our taxpayers, and those who are most in need of health care services by taking advantage of MassHealth,” said AG Healey. “People who exploit this system and divert these critical resources from those in need will be held accountable by my office.”

Anyone who suspects other health care providers might be committing similar fraud should call the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division at 617-963-2360 or file a complaint through the Attorney General’s website.