A former hospice chief operations officer has been charged with orchestrating a scheme to defraud Medicare and Medicaid out of millions of dollars.
According to a five-count indictment, Mary Ann Stewart, 47, of Bossier City, La., caused her staff to place non-qualifying patients into hospice care that were not appropriate, and then recertified the patients for continued hospice care.
The indictment alleges that Stewart, who was COO of Horizons Hospice LLC, lied to a federal grand jury about her involvement in the scheme.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Section of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General conducted the investigation leading to the indictment.
Stewart faces a maximum total sentence of 10 years in prison on the health care fraud count and five years in prison on the making false declarations before a grand jury counts, a fine of $250,000 on each count, or both.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
An indictment or information is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Health Care Fraud
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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