Appellate court: Rita Hunter will have to pay $120,000 restitution

Former Jasper County Public Administrator Rita Hunter, now serving a one year and one day prison sentence for document fraud,  will also have to make restitution of $120,000 to Medicaid, as the Eighth District Court of Appeals today upheld the district court's punishment.

Mrs. Hunter, the wife of former Rep. Steve Hunter, R-Joplin, pleaded guilty November 6, 2012, as part of a plea bargain agreement. She had also been charged with two counts of health care fraud, two counts of theft of public money, two additional counts of document fraud, two counts of Social Security fraud, and two counts of Medicaid fraud.

Mrs. Hunter is serving her sentence at the federal facility in Greenville, Illinois, and is scheduled to be released June 14.