Judge sentences three in Medicare fraud case, including mother of Tyrann Mathieu

A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced three defendants who have pleaded guilty to roles in a wide-ranging Medicare fraud indictment that ensnared two former Zulu Carnival queens.

The first defendant sentenced was Sheila Mathieu, the mother of Arizona Cardinals defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, who pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the theft of government money for her role in a scam that prosecutors said stole $30 million from the federal Medicare program.

U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan sentenced Mathieu to one year of probation. Mathieu, a former Zulu queen, declined to speak before the judge handed down her sentence.

Prosecutors said that doctors and other medical professionals associated with Abide Home Care Services, a business operated by Lisa Crinel, signed off on home health care services for patients regardless of whether the patients actually needed the services.

Read more: http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/courts/article_d77c1ecc-8dbd-11e7-b2be-5b7cb70b6088.html