From the Attorney General’s office:

A Federal Way woman is accused of billing Medicaid for ongoing care after her grandfather died.

Earlier this month, Assistant Attorney General Andrea Jarmon filed charges against Nina Silchuk, 25, for first-degree theft and defrauding Medicaid, a joint federal and state program that funds care for the poor. Silchuk’s arraignment was scheduled for Sept. 17 in King County Superior Court. Silchuk failed to appear, and a warrant has been issued for her arrest.

Silchuk’s grandfather, Medicaid recipient Lawrence Whitish, died on Aug. 12, 2008. Jeffrey Hartley, an investigator with the Washington State Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), said Silchuk received a call from Whitish’s case manager 13 days after the senior had died. But Silchuk not only neglected to mention the death, she reportedly told the case manager her grandfather was “doing well.” She also claimed he was happy with some new equipment the case manager had ordered for him, including a safety rail for the toilet.

The Attorney General’s Office says that as a result of her false billings, Silchuk received more than $10,000. A conviction for a charge of theft carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in custody and a $10,000 fine. A conviction for a charge of Medicaid False Statement carries a maximum penalty of five years and a $25,000 fine.

Anyone with information about Silchuk’s whereabouts should call Investigator Jeffrey Hartley at (360) 586-8888.