Speech pathologist arrested in alleged Medicaid fraud and theft scandal

FLORIDA — Attorney General Moody has announced the arrest of a Florida speech-language pathologist who is alleged to have defrauded Medicaid.

Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) has accused Kristin Marie Stiggleman, a therapy provider in Hillsborough County, of inflating her hours by billing for services that she had not rendered and stealing more than $5,000 from the taxpayer-funded program.

She is charged with Medicaid provider fraud and grand theft, Moody said.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office assisted the MFCU in arresting Stiggleman.

“This speech-language pathologist was trusted to provide care for vulnerable children and abused that trust to line her own pockets,” said Moody.

“She inflated her hours spent treating children, billed for sessions she personally canceled, and even billed for services when children were unavailable due to hospitalization. Thanks to our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, her scheme is shut down, and she will now face our Statewide Prosecutors.”

According to Moody’s announcement, Stiggleman was a licensed speech-language pathologist tasked with assessing and treating children with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders.

An MFCU investigation reportedly revealed that between March 2020 and September 2021, Stiggleman inflated hours by billing for services not provided on numerous occasions.

Stiggleman allegedly billed for services even when personally canceling sessions, when children discontinued services, or when children were unavailable for services due to hospitalization—stealing more than $5,700 of public funds in the process, Moody said.

Stiggleman faces one count of Medicaid-provider fraud and one count of grand theft, both third-degree felonies. Assistant Attorney General Joseph Kelly, through the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, will prosecute the case.