Bridget Brasfield, Healthcare Fraud and Money Laundering, Illinois 2016

Granite City Chiropractor Pleads Guilty to Healthcare Fraud and Money Laundering

A Granite City chiropractor has pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud and money laundering charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois. Bridget Brasfield, 45, of Edwardsville, Illinois, faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000, and up to 3 years of supervised release when she is sentenced on August 30, 2016, in U.S. District Court in Benton, Illinois.

Brasfield, a chiropractic physician licensed in Illinois, admitted to submitting approximately $500,000 in false and fraudulent bills to various health care benefit plans between January 2011 and January 2014. The schemes targeted Medicaid, Medicare, Tricare, Federal Employees Health Benefit Program, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and Coventry Insurance, claiming a Medical Doctor had provided services to patients at her Granite City Office when in fact the Doctor was out of the country when the services were claimed to have been provided.

The investigation was conducted by the Southern Illinois Health Care Fraud Task Force with active investigations by several federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, the Illinois State Police -Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Brasfield also admitted to engaging in a financial transaction that involved criminally derived proceeds from her healthcare fraud, transferring $12,000 in criminally derived funds in violation of federal money laundering statutes.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ranley R. Killian and Scott A. Verseman. If you suspect or know of an individual or company that is not complying with healthcare laws or public aid programs, you may report this activity to the local office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, or call 1.800.447.8477.

The guilty plea marks a significant blow to the Granite City community, where Brasfield’s chiropractic practice was located. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of holding healthcare providers accountable for their actions and the consequences of committing healthcare fraud.

Brasfield’s sentencing is scheduled for August 30, 2016, in U.S. District Court in Benton, Illinois. The case will be closely watched by healthcare professionals and law enforcement agencies throughout the region.

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