TOPEKA – (October 11, 2018) – A Riley County nurse has been found guilty of Medicaid fraud and related charges in three Kansas counties, Attorney General Derek Schmidt said.
Kathleen M. Kleuskens, of Ogden, this month entered pleas and was found guilty of a total of 10 charges filed by the attorney general’s office in Pottawatomie, Clay and Geary counties.
In Pottawatomie County on October 2, Kleuskens pleaded no contest to one count of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, and she pleaded guilty to one count of mistreatment of a dependent adult and one count of Medicaid fraud. District Judge Jeff Elder accepted the pleas and scheduled sentencing for January 8, 2019.
In Clay County on October 4, Kleuskens pleaded guilty to one count of making false information, one count of forgery and one count of Medicaid fraud. District Judge John Bosch accepted the pleas and scheduled sentencing for January 3, 2019.
In Geary County, Kleuskens today pleaded no contest to one count of possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute, no contest to one count of hydrocodone with intent to distribute, and she pleaded guilty to one count of mistreatment of a dependent adult and one count of Medicaid fraud. District Judge Martiza Segarra accepted the pleas and scheduled sentencing for January 11, 2019.
Kleuskens’ convictions stem from times she was employed as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) at nursing facilities in Wamego, Clay Center and Junction City.
An investigation by the attorney general’s Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Division, Clay Center Police Department, Junction City Police Department and Wamego Police Department revealed that during her times of employment at those facilities Kleuskens forged prescriptions for opioids and intercepted delivery from pharmacies to nursing facilities, altered records to make it appear that nursing home residents had been timely administered prescription opioids when they had not, altered medical records with other inaccurate information and forged signatures, and exploited internal procedures for discontinued prescriptions.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Ed Brancart of Schmidt’s office.