The co-owner of a Marietta counseling service will serve seven years in prison for Medicaid fraud after pleading guilty in Cobb County Superior Court.
Garry A. Hankerson Jr. pleased guilty to racketeering, and conspiracy to defraud the state after he and co-defendants billed $622,000 in fraudulent Medicaid claims, Attorney General Sam Olens said Friday.
The co-owner of First Step Counseling Services, Hankerson provided family and individual counseling to children with behavioral issues. Between July 2005 and 2010, Hankerson and accomplices used patients’ Medicaid accounts to bill for more than the services provided. More than 3,000 false claims were submitted over five years, Olens said.
Hankerson used the money to purchase a home in Marietta, luxury automobiles and to pay for vacations to Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Las Vegas.
Three co-defendants will be sentenced June 23.
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