Jan. 17--A Hubert woman was sentenced to federal prison Wednesday evening for fabricating hospital insurance claims.

Medina K. Blanton, 39, of Hubert, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, on the charge of wire fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Blanton was also ordered to make restitution to insurer AFLAC in the amount of $234,295.

Pursuant to Blanton's guilty plea to one count of criminal information, the government proved that between Sept. 2004 and April 2010, Blanton devised a scheme to defraud AFLAC, an insurance company, by filing $234, 295 in false hospital confinement indemnity claims, the release stated.

The defendant created and filed claims with AFLAC stating that she and certain members of her family had been admitted to the hospital as an inpatient for periods of days and weeks, which was not the case, according to the release.

Blanton even fabricated medical documentation to make it appear as though she and her family members had been admitted to the hospital.

She received and deposited funds from AFLAC in the total of $234,295 relating to the false and fraudulent claims, and spent the money on her own interests, the release stated.

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