Attorney General Hector Balderas

From the Office of the Attorney General:

LAS CRUCES – New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced today that the Office of the Attorney General secured a grand jury indictment against Cathy Chidester of Drop In Counseling for defrauding the State’s Medicaid program, among other charges.

Chidester is accused of illegally billing the program, spanning Sept. 1, 2017 to Oct. 28, 2019. Chidester faces 15 felony charges, including multiple counts of fraud over $20,000.00, obstruction of investigation, Medicaid fraud and theft of identity. 

“Medicaid ensures that almost half of all New Mexicans have access to healthcare, and we must do all we can to protect these resources that are so vital to our families,” Balderas said. “We will continue to hold anyone who tries to steal these critical healthcare resources accountable.” 

This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). MFCU receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $3,200,478 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2019-20, of which $2,400,360 is federally funded. The remaining 25 percent of the approved grant, totaling $800,118 for FY 2019-20, is funded by the State of New Mexico.