Christie Morgan, a/k/a Christie Hutto, 41, of Columbus, Georgia, was ordered to pay $86,000 in restitution and serve three years on probation after defrauding the U.S. government through a medical equipment billing scheme. On February 14, 2018, Chief U.S. District Judge Clay D. Land handed down the sentence in the Middle District of Georgia, holding Morgan accountable for submitting false claims to Medicare and Georgia Medicaid.
Morgan and her former husband ran Hutto Limb and Brace, LLC (HLB), a durable medical equipment company in LaGrange, Georgia, specializing in custom orthotic and prosthetic limbs, joints, and fitted footwear. Many of their patients relied on Medicare and Medicaid, and HLB billed those programs for services rendered. But there was a catch: federal and state rules require that such services be performed by or under the direct supervision of a licensed orthotist or prosthetist. Morgan’s husband was the only licensed professional at the company.
When he walked out on April 6, 2012, the license went with him. Yet Morgan kept HLB running until November 2012, operating from her home in Columbus and billing Medicare and Medicaid as if nothing had changed. With no qualified medical supervisor, every claim she submitted was a lie. Through this fraud, she sought approximately $172,000 in payments, successfully pocketing half — $86,000 — in government funds meant for vulnerable patients.
“One of the two top priorities of this United States Attorney’s Office is the reduction of waste and fraud against the government,” said U.S. Attorney Charles E. Peeler. “It doesn’t matter whether the defendant is a multi-national corporation embezzling millions or a one person shop falsely billing for much smaller sums, such as in this case, all will be prosecuted fully in the Middle District of Georgia.”
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr echoed that stance, emphasizing the state’s commitment to rooting out abuse. “Our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is committed to protecting the integrity of the Georgia Medicaid program, its members and the taxpayer dollars used to provide this service. We will remain vigilant in our efforts to identify and detect fraud, abuse or waste and aggressively recover all funds spent inappropriately,” Carr said, thanking federal partners for their collaboration.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Office of Inspector General and the Georgia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melvin E. Hyde prosecuted the case. For further information, contact Pamela Lightsey at the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (478) 621-2603.
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Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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