A former Norwich counselor was sentenced Tuesday to 2½ years in prison for defrauding Medicaid by submitting bills for thousands of dollars in fraudulent claims for herself and others.

Susan J. Britt, 48, of Nemczuk Drive, former operator of An Inner Peace counseling, pleaded guilty in Hartford Superior Court to two counts of health insurance fraud.

Superior Court Judge Laura F. Baldini sentenced her to five years in prison on each count, suspended after 2 ½ years served, and 3 years' probation.

Britt also paid $51,804.77 in restitution to the Medicaid program and voluntarily relinquished her professional license to work as a counselor under the terms of the plea agreement accepted by Judge Baldini.

The case was investigated by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State's Attorney.

According to the prosecutors, Britt worked out of her home, counseling patients with mental, behavioral and emotional disorders. She was arrested in June 2018 and charged with billing Medicaid for services that were either never rendered or billed at a higher reimbursement rate than allowed. She submitted fraudulent claims totaling more than $91,000 for 17 patients and another $103,000 in fraudulent claims for herself and family members.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, state Department of Social Services Office of Quality Assurance, state Attorney General's Office and the Rocky Hill Police Department assisted in the investigation.