Natavia Boyd-Wells, Healthcare Fraud, Missouri 2023

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Table of Contents

Defendant Accused of $800,000 Healthcare Fraud

ST. LOUIS – In a shocking case of corruption, Natavia Boyd-Wells, 40, the owner of Touch of the Heart Home Health Care LLC, was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday and accused of defrauding the Missouri Medicaid Program and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs out of more than $800,000.

The indictment, which includes four counts of wire fraud and two counts of making false statements related to a healthcare matter, alleges that Boyd-Wells submitted hundreds of fraudulent claims for services that she knew were never provided. In some cases, the veteran-patients were actually in the hospital and could not possibly have received home healthcare services.

Missouri Medicaid paid at least $197,022 to a bank account controlled by Boyd-Wells, while the Department of Veterans Affairs funded reimbursement payments of over $600,000. The indictment also claims that Boyd-Wells submitted false and fraudulent electronic documentation of a patient visit to Missouri Medicaid in 2022 after officials conducting an audit requested documentation reflecting the services that Boyd-Wells claimed were provided to that patient.

Boyd-Wells submitted fraudulent Department of Veterans Affairs claims claiming that her patients received more than 24 hours of care in a single day, the indictment says. This case highlights the importance of accountability in our healthcare system and the need for vigilance in preventing such corruption.

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General and the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.

“This indictment should send a clear message that the VA Office of Inspector General will vigorously investigate those who would seek to defraud VA healthcare programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Billingsley with the Department of Veterans Affairs OIG. “The VA OIG thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their efforts in this investigation.”