In December, a Valley woman, Jamie Leeanne Baltazar pleaded guilty of two counts of theft, class 2 felonies. This month a Maricopa County judge sentenced Baltazar to 10 years in prison to be served in the Arizona Department of Corrections.
Working as a claims processor for Oxford Life Insurance Company handling medical payments to U-Hall retirees, Baltazar was entrusted with substantial authority to process stipends for out-of-pocket medical costs. Between 2011 and 2019, Baltazar generated fraudulent medical claims using retiree names from a master list to have fraudulent checks printed, which she rerouted to her home address. Baltazar took these checks and deposited them into her personal account.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, over the eight-year period, Baltazar stole on average $25,000 a month from the fraudulent activity. Aside from the prison sentence, Baltazar was ordered to pay over $2.5 million in restitution. Her prison sentence will be followed by a 5-year probation.