U.S. Magistrate Judge John E. Martin denied bond to Christine L. Reese of Crown Point, Indiana, who is accused of health care fraud and aggravated identity theft. During the hearing in U.S. District Court in Hammond, Judge Martin described the alleged crimes as egregious in both their scope and boldness. Reese was charged on August 23 after an FBI raid on her Crown Point home uncovered evidence that she used others’ identities to obtain a job as a licensed clinical psychologist, despite not having the necessary qualifications.
Reese’s alleged fraudulent activities involved working at Mid-America Counseling Services as a licensed clinical psychologist, opening her own telehealth psychology practice called Sanctuary Counseling LLC, and billing Medicaid and private insurers for services she was not authorized to provide. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Wolff presented evidence obtained from Reese’s home, including forged documents such as a certified birth certificate with an altered first name.
Judge Martin emphasized that Reese’s document forgery skills were too good to ignore and expressed concern about the potential harm caused by her impersonation of a licensed psychologist. He cited previous charges against Reese, including a conviction for identity theft in Wisconsin in 2005, as evidence of a pattern of sophisticated criminal behavior.
Roy C. Reese Jr., who was Reese’s boyfriend/business partner at the time of the alleged crimes, was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. He denied ownership of the weapons found during the raid and was released on bail.
Author: Ryan Scott
Just a guy