A 23-year-old Bridgehampton healthcare aide was arrested Tuesday, Oct. 13, for allegedly stealing more than $5,000 by billing Medicaid for over 300 hours of care she did not provide to people with intellectual disabilities at a Riverhead residential facility, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said.
Latricia Hires was charged with third-degree grand larceny, first-degree identity theft, third-degree healthcare fraud and petit larceny following a joint investigation involving the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, New York State Police and the New York State Comptroller’s Office.
According to prosecutors, Hires began working as an aide for two residents at L’Arche Long Island, a residential facility for people with intellectual disabilities in Riverhead, in September 2025. Her employment was terminated on Oct. 17, 2025.
Despite no longer working at the facility, Hires allegedly continued submitting claims for services she was not providing through Public Partnerships LLC, a Medicaid fiscal intermediary.
Prosecutors said Hires logged into the Public Partnerships application, impersonated the residents and approved her own fraudulent timesheets, ultimately collecting more than $5,000 for over 300 hours of care she allegedly never provided.
“People with intellectual disabilities and their families deserve caregivers they can trust,” Tierney said. “This defendant allegedly exploited that trust for her own financial gain, continuing to bill Medicaid for services she was no longer providing.”
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said the alleged scheme diverted money intended to support New Yorkers with intellectual disabilities.
Hires was arrested by New York State Police and arraigned before Town Justice Sean M. Walter in Riverhead Town Justice Court on Oct. 13.
The three felony charges are class D felonies, while the petit larceny charge is a class A misdemeanor.
Prosecutors said the charges are not eligible for bail under current New York law.
Hires is currently serving a criminal sentence for unrelated offenses and was returned to the custody of the Suffolk County Sheriff following her arraignment.
She is represented by the Legal Aid Society and is scheduled to return to court Oct. 27.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Katharine R. D’Aquila of the Public Corruption Bureau.
Hires is presumed innocent of the new charges unless and until proven guilty.
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