Minnesota prosecutors have charged nine providers with taking more than $3 million from the state's Medicaid program, and most of the alleged loss traces to a single mental health provider in Duluth. Attorney General Keith Ellison's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit announced the charges against the nine providers on September 29, accusing the defendants of billing for care that patients never received. The charges are allegations, and no defendant has been convicted.
The largest case involves Peter Jason Meilahn, a Duluth psychotherapist charged in Ramsey County with 11 felony theft counts and two felony identity theft counts. Prosecutors say he submitted about 27,400 false claims worth more than $2.2 million, Valley News Live reported. MPR News said it could not immediately reach Meilahn or another defendant for comment.
