Am I responsible for father in law's attempting medicaid fraud?

[LissyAnne]

michigan and indiana, my father in law was put in the hospital a few months back and they signed him up for medicaid in michigan.he came back to our house to recover. we came to find out he told the people that he was renting his place from that he was not going back and staying w/us.we told him he has to live in michigan since he had applied for medicaid there. we are in indiana. the medicaid still hasn't gone thru yet. after him lying to us several times we had kicked him out and my brother in law is keeping him and they are still awaiting the medicaid and continuing to mount bills on it by taking him to michigan for his medical care.he has been staying with my b-i-l since march and was told he is not coming back here. we received a change of address confirmation for him from his old post office in michigan for our address!!! we have been receiving tons of bills for him that medicaid has not paid yet and the post office told us he is the only one that can change his address.we do not approve of his trying to commit medicaid fraud and am wondering if that is why medicaid has not paid after 4 months that they are probably suspicious. Will me and my husband get in legal trouble or be responsible for any of his unpaid bills? we didn't sign anything for him. Would my brother in law get into trouble since he keeps taking him to these doctors in michigan even though he lives in indiana now? We keep telling him he could get in trouble for assisting the dad in law in his fraud but he thinks we are being ridiculous. Please help me.

 

[ALawyer]

Medicaid fraud is a Federal crime, and from time to time the Government cracks down hard.

Usually the US Attorneys don't like to prosecute older people as the targets make sympathetic defendants and it can look bad in the press -- it's easy on a slow newsday to do a story about the mean old government going after this dying old poor guy who only tried seek care we all may have thought he was entitled to.

The way these cases tend to be handled is every once in a while the prosecutors, or the Mediacaid agency, will make an example. Particularly where the defendant is not very nice, or has a record, or they name someone younger caught up in the fraud, or an unsympatetic doctor or clinic or nursing home. Or a mean old relative who "aided and abetted" the fraud and tried to stick the government with the bill rather than paying it himself.

While I don't see any basis for charging you with a crime, if you'd refuse to accept the mail, or send back the letters stating "no longer at this address" forward to.... he'd soon get the meassage. I don't believe that because "everyone does it" (and they DON'T) you should have to violate your principles.