Topeka

Mother gets fine, prison for Medicaid fraud

A Topeka woman has been sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to repay more than $1.3 million in restitution for defrauding the federal Medicaid program.

U.S. District Judge Sam Crow on Wednesday allowed Molly Meier to report to prison Aug. 29, five days after her four children return to school.

Crow ordered Meier and a co-defendant, Cynthia Maze Moten, to pay $1.34 million each in restitution, even though Meier’s attorney, Kathleen Ambrosio, told Crow the case had bankrupted the Meier family.

Meier pleaded guilty in March 2004, when she admitted making false claims for payments to the Medicaid nonambulance medical transportation program. Meier and Moten were owners and operators of Toddler Town Day Care.

Authorities said claims were sent to Medicaid for students who didn’t attend the day care center and for students who didn’t receive transportation services.

The date for Moten’s sentencing has not been set. She pleaded guilty in May 2004 to obstruction of a health care fraud investigation.

Burlington

Wolf Creek finishes maintenance outage

The Wolf Creek nuclear power plant began producing electricity again Thursday after a routine refueling and maintenance outage, the 14th since the plant opened, the company said.

The outages occur every 18 months, in the spring or fall, when demand for electricity typically is lower.

The next outage is scheduled for fall 2006.

Output will increase at a rate of 3 percent an hour until the plant reaches full power, expected later in the week.

Kansas City, Kan.

Hooters, Brooks Bros. coming to Village West

Seven new shops, restaurants and other businesses – from the button-down apparel of Brooks Brothers to the casual dining and drinking of Hooters – are being added to The Legends at Village West, a retail and entertainment hub near Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.

RED Development LLC, developer of the 750,000-square-foot Legends project, announced its latest incoming businesses Thursday. The center’s first tenants are to open in November.

The additions: Brooks Brothers, Hooters, Claddagh Irish Pub, Casual Corner, Beauty Brands, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Wyldewood Cellars Winery.