Anchorage Woman Admits Posing as Licensed Social Worker to Bill VA $2.7 Million for Veterans' Mental Health Care

Published Oct. 28, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

Veterans who seek counseling through the Department of Veterans Affairs are trusting that the person across from them is qualified. Federal prosecutors in Alaska say that for about six years, the owner of an Anchorage counseling business was not the licensed clinician she claimed to be, and that she billed the VA on that basis, submitting thousands of false claims.

Marianne Rolland, 73, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to billing the Veterans Health Administration for more than $2 million in fraudulent claims, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska announced on Oct. 19, 2026 [1].

Important: Rolland has pleaded guilty but has not been sentenced. The veterans she treated, and the unlicensed person she employed, are not named in the release, and we don't name them.

How the scheme worked, step by step

According to court documents and Rolland's admissions, as described by prosecutors [1]:

1. The false credential. Between 2020 and February 2026, Rolland owned and operated White Raven Healing Services, LLC, and falsely represented herself to the VA as a licensed clinical social worker to get authorization to provide mental health services to veterans.
2. The stand-in. She employed an unlicensed person to conduct mental health counseling and billed the VA as if she had provided the services herself.
3. Prefilled diagnoses. She submitted claims using prefilled diagnosis codes without first making a diagnosis.
4. Billing from afar. She billed for services while she was out of state and out of the country.
5. Upcoding. She falsely claimed in-person services that were actually done remotely, and falsely billed prolonged-service codes.

In total, prosecutors said, Rolland caused 2,833 false claims totaling about $2.7 million. The VA paid $1,839,727, which she has agreed to repay as restitution. Under the plea agreement, she will pay $1.1 million toward restitution by her sentencing date [1].

The person convicted and her status

Marianne Rolland, 73, of Anchorage. Pleaded guilty, according to the Oct. 19 release, which does not name the specific statute; she faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is set for Jan. 20, 2027, at 10:30 a.m. A federal judge will decide the sentence. The investigation was conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Steward and Jordyn Caldwell are prosecuting [1].

"Exploiting veterans seeking mental health care and submitting millions of dollars in fraudulent claims is a serious breach of trust," said VA Inspector General Cheryl L. Mason [1].

"Health care fraud carried out against the Veteran's Health Administration is stealing money from taxpayers and robbing veterans of legitimate services," said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman [1].

Why it matters to veterans

The VA paid the claims, but the people with the most at stake are the veterans. A counselor without the claimed license may lack the training and supervision the VA requires for mental health care. Diagnoses entered without an actual assessment can follow a patient through their medical record. And when a provider's billing doesn't match what happened, the veteran's records may be wrong, too.

Red flags

These are general warning signs of this kind of scheme; not every one is alleged in this case.

• A provider who won't share license details, or whose name doesn't appear in the state licensing board's online lookup.
• Someone other than your approved provider routinely runs your sessions without explanation.
• Your records or explanation of benefits show visits, diagnoses or session lengths that don't match what happened, such as "in-person" for a video call or extended sessions you didn't have.
• Sessions that seem rushed or scripted, or a diagnosis you were never told about.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Check your provider's license with the state licensing board. In Alaska and most states, license lookups are free online.
2. Ask who will be treating you and what their credentials are. You're entitled to know.
3. Review your VA health records and community care paperwork for services you didn't receive.
4. Report suspected fraud against the VA to the VA Office of Inspector General hotline at vaoig.gov/hotline or 1-800-488-8244.
5. Report other scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Older adults can call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311.
6. If you're in crisis, veterans can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 and pressing 1.

Case status (as of Oct. 28, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
Marianne Rolland, 73, of Anchorage	U.S. District Court, D. Alaska	Pleaded guilty (announced Oct. 19, 2026); agreed to $1,839,727 restitution; sentencing Jan. 20, 2027	[1]

Statuses can change.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Alaska, "Anchorage woman pleads guilty to committing more than $2 million in Health Care Fraud," Oct. 19, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ak/pr/anchorage-woman-pleads-guilty-committing-more-2-million-health-care-fraud

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