Judge Rejects Plea Deal; Counselor to Go on Trial for Fraud

MADISON, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota counselor who admitted defrauding the Medicaid program is now taking his case to trial after a judge rejected a plea deal.

Shawn Nills pleaded guilty earlier to making false claims to Medicaid and other state grant programs, and was expected to repay more than $27,000. He was to be sentenced Wednesday, but Judge Vince Foley said Nills' statements in a presentence report didn't match the facts of the case he'd agreed to in March.

Nills' trial is to begin June 23 in Madison.

Authorities allege the fraud happened between October 2012 and March 2014, when Nills was CEO of Madison-based Community Counseling Services. He is now a counselor in Watertown.

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