Phoenix detectives arrest woman in $400,000 medical fraud and identity theft case

Authorities accused a woman of fraudulently using someone else's name in order to receive medical care in Maricopa County, racking up medical bills to $400,000.

The woman was arrested Saturday on suspicion of identity theft and fraud totaling over $400,000 in medical costs, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office announced.

On Saturday, the Financial Crimes Unit arrested and booked a 47-year-old woman on one count of fraudulent schemes, three counts of identity theft, one count of theft for obtaining a service without paying and three counts of false impersonation, officials said.

The suspect was initially located by Phoenix Police Department before detectives took custody.

Officials said the woman also had two fugitive of justice warrants for similar crimes in other states.

According to the sheriff's office, the woman admitted in an interview that she received medical care while using the victim's name and charged the bills to the victim. Officials said detectives knew about fraudulent charges at two hospitals, but the suspect also admitted to other incidents of using the victim's name to receive care.

The investigation was ongoing.

The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com has changed its approach to covering crime and typically does not identify people arrested or charged for all but the most serious cases.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix detectives arrest woman in $400,000 medical fraud and identity theft case