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Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin Friday, said on Friday, Jan. 5 that Michael Mastronardi, age 49, of Shelton, was sentenced to a three-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to one count of cruelty to persons.
In addition, he was ordered to pay $57,278.24 in restitution to the Department of Social Services to reimburse the Medicaid program.
An investigation by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit determined that between August 2014 and April 2019, Mastronardi was enrolled as a provider in the Personal Care Assistance (PCA) program. The PCA program provides recipients with permanent, severe, chronic disabilities a PCA to physically assist them with daily activities enabling them to stay in their homes.
Mastronardi had been billing for years claiming to have been providing services to a severely injured recipient, reportedly his uncle, who was unable to care for themselves without physical assistance, the State's Attorney Office said.
Inspectors found numerous overlapping dates and times that Mastronardi claimed to have been providing services when he was working at the Greenwich Police Department as a police officer.
Inspectors conducted interviews and surveillance, confirming that Mastronardi was not at the recipient’s residence, as claimed, during overnight hours. By leaving the recipient unattended, Mastronardi intentionally deprived the recipient of proper physical care, officials said.
Mastronardi was ordered not to act as a provider in the Medicaid program, and no new arrests for which probable cause is found.
Greenwich Police did not respond for comment on whether Mastronardi is still a police officer with the department.
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