Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Ayla Atherton, 30, of Richford, Vermont, was arraigned on one count of felony Medicaid Fraud. The charge brought against Ms. Atherton is the result of an investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU), which found Ms. Atherton submitted false and inaccurate information on timesheets regarding the care she had reportedly provided to an individual. The submission of these false timesheets resulted in Ms. Atherton being repeatedly paid for services she did not actually provide, defrauding Vermont Medicaid of over $14,000 in public healthcare funds.
Ms. Atherton pled not guilty at her arraignment today, in Vermont Superior Court, Franklin Criminal Division. The Court, Judge Alison Arms presiding, ordered Ms. Atherton released on conditions including that she appear in court when directed, provide her contact information to her attorney and the court, and report to a police barracks for photos and fingerprinting.
If you suspect Medicaid fraud, please contact MFRAU at https://ago.vermont.gov/medicaid-fraud-report-form.
The Attorney General’s Office emphasizes that individuals charged with a crime are legally presumed innocent until their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $1,332,724 for Federal fiscal year FY 2025. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $444,241 for FY 2025, is funded by the State of Vermont.
5.20.2025. MONTPELIER, Vt. – The Attorney General
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