An area woman has been sentenced to three years in state prison for submitting more than $500,000 worth of fraudulent healthcare insurance claims, Acting Attorney General John Hoffman and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) announced.

Donna Dzienisewski, 41, of Middletown, pleaded guilty in October to a second-degree healthcare claims fraud charge that she bilked Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey by submitting 101 completely illegitimate claims within a two-year period — between March 18, 2011 and March 12, 2013.

“Defrauding an insurance company is not the path to easy money, it is the road to prison,” Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi said in a released statement. “We will continue to vigorously prosecute these cases and seek punishment for those who commit these crimes.”

Dzieniskewski, according to the Attorney General, “gave the false impression that she incurred approximately $502,740 in reimbursable” health care expenses during 107 doctor visits, when she actually incurred only $2,640 of those expenses in six legitimate of the total 107 doctor visits. The legitimate $2,640 in the six visits was also falsely inflated by her to show $8,640 in expenses.

Dzienisewski then deposited $141,126 into her bank account, according to the Attorney General.

She was sentenced by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mellaci Jr.

Deputy Attorney General Bradford Muller represented the state at the sentencing hearing. Deputy Attorney General T.J. Harker and Detectives Wendy Berg and Matthew Armstrong coordinated the investigation. Analyst Kelly Celenza provided substantial assistance in the financial analysis of the investigation.

People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting the website at www.NJInsurancefraud.org.