Latricia Hires, of Bridgehampton, faces felony charges for bilking Medicaid

A Bridgehampton woman was arrested on grand larceny and other charges for allegedly billing Medicaid for care hours she never provided, all after she was fired as an aide for individuals with intellectual disabilities, Suffolk authorities said.

Latricia Hires, 23, of Bridgehampton, defrauded Medicaid out of more than $5,000 following a brief stint as an aide for two residents at L’Arche Long Island, a Riverhead residential facility for people with intellectual disabilities, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a news release.

Hires, who was hired in September 2025 and fired the following month, kept billing Medicaid “for care that she was no longer providing” after her termination, Tierney’s office said. She allegedly logged into the application for Public Partnerships, Medicaid’s “fiscal intermediary,” impersonated disabled residents and “approved her own falsified hours,” the release said.

L’Arche Long Island could not be reached by phone late Tuesday and did not immediately return Newsday’s emailed request for comment.

New York State Police arrested Hires on Tuesday, Tierney said. She was arraigned before Town Justice Sean M. Walter in Riverhead Town Justice Court on charges of third-degree grand larceny, first-degree identity theft, third-degree healthcare fraud, all felonies, and petit larceny, a misdemeanor. She was represented by the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County and released on her own recognizance. She is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 27.

The Bridgehampton woman is “currently serving a criminal sentence on unrelated offenses and was returned to the custody of the Suffolk County Sheriff,” according to Tierney. The district attorney’s office could not immediately provide additional information late Tuesday regarding her prior arrest and sentencing.