The Alaska Court of Appeals has upheld the sentence of a woman convicted of multimillion-dollar Medicaid fraud.
Agnes P. Francisco was part owner of Good Faith Services and in charge of the company’s daily operations in 2013 when the company was investigated for fraudulently billing the federal government for $2 million more than appropriate.
Francisco subsequently pled guilty to attempted medical assistance fraud, a class C felony.
In Anchorage, Superior Court Judge William Morse sentenced her to four years in jail (one suspended) and a $50,000 fine, the maximum possible.
In his sentence, Morse described Good Faith Services as a “cesspool of fraud.”
Francisco appealed the sentence as too severe for a white-collar crime and asked for large amounts of community service instead.
The appeals court sided with Morse, agreeing that Good Faith Services was a cesspool of fraud. The three-judge appeals panel found that while a different judge might have sentenced Francisco differently, the jail time “is still within the permissible range of sentences … and is therefore not clearly mistaken.”
