Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Wednesday announced that the owner of a Chicago clinic was charged with theft, fraud and forgery for allegedly filing more than $244,000 in false Medicaid claims. Raoul’s office charged Easter Jean Watson, 74, of Chicago, in Cook County Circuit Court with managed health care fraud, a Class 1 felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison; two counts of theft, Class X felonies each punishable by up to 30 years in prison; and forgery, a Class 3 felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. “Thousands of Illinois residents rely on Medicaid for their health care. It is unconscionable that a health care provider would defraud the people of Illinois by allegedly misusing needed Medicaid resources,” Raoul said. “I am committed to working with the Illinois State Police to identify Medicaid fraud and hold those who engage in it accountable.” Watson is a licensed clinical social worker and the owner of Loudek Community Services. Raoul alleges that she submitted claims for psychotherapy and counseling services that she did not provide to 10 Medicaid Managed Care patients. The case was investigated by the Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.