A former auditor for Nebraska’s Medicaid office has been sentenced to 16 months in jail and ordered to pay nearly $277,000 in restitution after he pled guilty to benefit fraud.
Craig Barnett became his father’s power of attorney in February 2010 and used the title to steal nearly $268,000 in pension, Social Security, grant funding and mutual fund dollars from his father.
He also defrauded the Nebraska Medicaid program of $84,110 in benefits by claiming his father’s only income was from Social Security after he was moved to a nursing home in December 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Barnett’s sentencing also included three years of probation. He pled guilty to two counts of wire fraud and two counts of mail fraud in January.
Barnett served as the administrator of the Medicaid Audit and Financial Support Division in Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services for 11 years during the scam.
