(KNOX) – A Fargo woman accused of using false credentials and stealing the identities of licensed professionals to provide counseling services in Minnesota, is one of seven providers charged in a Medicaid fraud crackdown.
Christine Marie Pryor was charged in Clay County District Court with six theft offenses and six identity theft offenses. Prosecutors allege she defrauded Minnesota’s Medicaid program of $156,000 and received $108,000 in wages.
According to the court documents, Pryor claimed to provide psychotherapy and alcohol and drug counseling services to Medicaid recipients despite having no license or credentials in order to do so. Prosecutors allege she used the credentials and identities of three licensed professionals without their knowledge. She also claimed to provide Medicaid-funded services to 169 clients.
Court documents show Pryor worked in Moorhead at Lakeland Mental Health Center and The Lotus Center, while using other providers’ license numbers and names. Investigators also allege she submitted both transcripts and a Capella University diploma that were fraudulent to gain employment.
Investigators say Pryor admitted in an interview with the North Dakota Insurance Department Fraud Unit that she used other providers’ names and license numbers. According to court documents, Pryor said she searched licensing websites in Minnesota and North Dakota for therapists who shared her first name. She then used those therapists’ last names and license numbers when applying for jobs.
Prosecutors allege Pryor provided services between 2021 and 2024 that were ineligible for Medicaid reimbursement because she lacked the required licensing. The services were billed through the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Health Partners and UCare.
Court documents also say Pryor was previously charged in Cass County, North Dakota, for similar conduct involving UCare recipients in North Dakota. According to the Minnesota complaint, Pryor pleaded guilty in that case and was sentenced in November 2024 on a theft by deception charge.
The Minnesota charges were filed as part of a joint effort that included the Department of Justice and more than 40 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units. Minnesota’s unit charged seven individual providers accused of more than $700,000 combined in Medicaid fraud.
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