Woman pleads guilty on federal charges in Medicaid fraud
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A woman has pleaded guilty to a mail fraud charge following accusations she stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from senior citizens seeking help to obtain Medicaid or veterans benefits.
Tammy Henderson Palasini pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of mail fraud before U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock in Aberdeen, Mississippi.
Palasini will be sentenced Aug. 10. She faces 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, and could be ordered to repay victims.
She is the sister of state Supreme Court Justice Dawn Beam and Randy Henderson, senior pastor of Pinelake Church, a large Brandon-based Southern Baptist congregation.
Palasini was previously convicted in state court in Sunflower County on bad-check charges and in Wayne County on false pretense charges. State records show she’s serving a 17-year state sentence.
