Inverness Psychologist Sharon Rinaldi Billed Medicare for Dead Patients and 24-Plus-Hour Days

Case from 2015–2016 (U.S. Attorney's Office release: May 27, 2015; later developments are from court records and other sources cited below). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Sharon A. Rinaldi, a licensed psychologist from Inverness, pleaded guilty on May 27, 2015, to health care fraud for submitting thousands of false Medicare claims for psychotherapy to nursing-home residents in the Chicago area, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced [1]. Medicare paid her at least $447,155 she wasn't entitled to.

Outcome: Rinaldi was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison and reported to the Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia in October 2016, the Daily Herald reported [2].

How the scheme worked

According to her plea, as described by prosecutors [1]:

1. Dead patients: Between December 2008 and August 2012, Rinaldi claimed to have provided services to Medicare beneficiaries who had already died.
2. Out of town: She billed for sessions on dates when she was in places like Las Vegas and San Diego.
3. Impossible hours: She inflated hours, often claiming more than 24 hours of services in a single day. The Daily Herald reported that in nearly a dozen instances she claimed 35 to 42 hours of therapy in one day [2].
4. Totals: She sought about $1.1 million and was paid at least $447,155.

The person sentenced

Sharon A. Rinaldi, 60 at plea, Inverness, Ill.

• Charges: five-count indictment returned in October 2012.
• Plea (May 27, 2015): one count of health care fraud before U.S. District Judge Robert M. Dow Jr.; agreed to forfeit more than $100,000 seized from her home and a bank account in September 2012 [1].
• Sentence: 15 months in prison; she surrendered in October 2016 [2].

Red flags

• Nursing-home statements listing therapy a resident never mentioned or couldn't have received.
• Medicare charges dated after a loved one's death.
• Unusually long or frequent sessions from a single provider.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Families of nursing-home residents should review Medicare statements, and keep reviewing them after a death to catch posthumous billing.
2. Report suspected fraud to HHS-OIG at oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud or 1-800-HHS-TIPS.

Case status (as of Oct. 16, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
Sharon A. Rinaldi, Inverness, Ill.	N.D. Ill. (Judge Dow)	Pleaded guilty May 27, 2015; sentenced to 15 months; surrendered Oct. 2016	[1], [2]

The sentence began in 2016; we have not found a source on Rinaldi's current custody status.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Chicago Area Psychologist Pleads In Nationwide Medicare Fraud Strike Force Takedown," May 27, 2015. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/chicago-area-psychologist-pleads-nationwide-medicare-fraud-strike-force-takedown
2. Daily Herald, "Why does imprisoned psychologist still have license to practice?" Nov. 11, 2016. https://www.dailyherald.com/20161111/news/why-does-imprisoned-psychologist-still-have-license-to-practice/

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