Onalaska Woman Charged with Filing Fraudulent Insurance Claims

MADISON — Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has announced that an Onalaska woman has been charged with Filing Fraudulent Insurance Claims, a misdemeanor.

A criminal complaint was filed in La Crosse County Circuit Court charging Samantha Connaughty, of 626 Meier Lane, Onalaska, with three counts of fraudulent insurance claims. Connaughty is scheduled to make an initial appearance in court on September 15, 2011, at 1:30 p.m.

The charges stem from Connaughty's employment as a Registered Nurse participating in the Medicaid-based “Nurses in Independent Practice” program.

According to the criminal complaint, Connaughty was providing in-home care to a young woman with spina bifida. Upon reviewing the Medicaid billing records for her daughter, the woman's mother discovered that between January 2009 and November 2010, Connaughty had been billing for services that had not been provided on dates that she had not been working. The Department of Justice determined Connaughty was paid $37,890.00 based on these false claims.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Gabrysiak.

A criminal complaint is a document accusing a person of a violation of criminal law. A defendant enjoys a presumption of innocence. The prosecution must prove its allegations at trial.

A copy of the criminal complaint is available at: