Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley issued the following announcement on Aug. 20.
Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley announced that a joint- state and federal investigation led to the guilty plea of Melissa Denise DeLap, 49, of Columbia, Mo. DeLap plead guilty in federal court to health care fraud.
As a community registered nurse, DeLap was contracted to provide services to four beneficiaries at a residence operated by Second Chance Homes in Fulton, Mo. Second Chance Homes submitted monthly claims to Medicaid for these services. Her duties included face-to-face evaluations, reviewing physicians’ orders, monitoring medications, and reviewing records. Carl DeBrodie, who died in September 2016, but was not reported missing until April 2017, was among the beneficiaries. From at least September 2016 through March 2017, DeLap completed and signed DeBrodie’s Community RN Monthly Health Summary, falsely stating that she had performed a face-to-face assessment of DeBrodie. She did not provide the services, for which she received payment from Medicaid, to the other three beneficiaries, as well.
“This case is a tragedy—and those who violate the law must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Hawley said. “I am grateful to the dedicated public servants in the Medicaid Fraud Unit for their hard work on this case.”
Under the plea agreement, DeLap must pay $106,795 in restitution to Medicaid. Within six months, she must also surrender her nursing license and not seek a nursing license in any state or territory of the United States. DeLap is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole, under federal statutes.
This case is being jointly prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cindi Woolery and Gregg Coonrod along with Shannon Kempf, head of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and designated as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. It was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the Fulton, Mo., Police Department.
Original source can be found here.