DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — The former president of a home healthcare service business that provides services in the Midstate is accused of stealing federal funding and money from different banks, according to court documents.

Ester Mbaya pled guilty to federal charges of healthcare fraud and bank fraud from the scheme where she stole over a million dollars from Medicaid and over $500,000 from three different banks, according to charging documents filed in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Mbaya was the president of Cool Waters, LLC, a home healthcare care agency located in Harrisburg that provided attendant care and personal assistance services (PAS) to those living in their homes or independent living in Dauphin, Cumberland, Lebanon, Perry and York counties.

She left her position when the business was sold in June 2020, the charges state.

In 2017, Cool Waters LLC, started getting Medicaid compensation and starting in January 2020, the business was able to submit claims for reimbursement for PAS.

In order to carry out the Medicaid fraud, Mbaya submitted claims for services that were not provided and even raised the reimbursement request in the claim to fake that more service was provided than what actually was, court docs show. She made false records and even manipulated the payroll records.

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Applications for lines of credit and loans were submitted to different banks in the region by Mbaya between July and August 2021 by Mbaya who also created falsified records to get loans, court docs show. Three banks had over $585,000 stolen from them in the scheme.

Mbaya faces up to 40 years in prison, along with having to pay up to $1.25 million for a fine. She would be put on eight years of supervised release after getting out of prison.

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