Three individuals received sentencing on Tuesday as part of an ongoing healthcare fraud investigation in St. Louis County.
Doriann Morgan, a 59-year-old resident of St. Louis County, along with Thalisa Walton, aged 47 from Hazelwood, and Barbara Jackson, a 59-year-old from St. Louis, have been sentenced after confessing their involvement in a conspiracy to submit fraudulent reimbursement claims to Missouri’s Medicaid program. The trio admitted to submitting a total of $552,659 in fraudulent claims between January 2018 and August 2021.
The claims were filed for personal care services that were never rendered.
The previous owner, office manager, and business manager of A Mother’s Touch In-Home Care LLC, a home healthcare company based in St. Louis County, have already fulfilled $790,000 of the $910,000 they were obligated to repay as part of a civil settlement. They are expected to make the final payment of $120,000 in March.
The three individuals involved in the case admitted to submitting false claims for personal care services. These claims were supposedly provided by Jackson for a woman who did not reside in Missouri and did not receive any services. Additionally, they submitted claims for providing services to clients while their social media posts indicated that they were engaged in other activities.
Jackson was in charge of recruiting clients and assigning employees to provide care, acting as the business manager. Morgan, on the other hand, owned the company and handled the submission of Medicaid claims. As for Walton, they held the position of office manager.
Linda T. Hanley, the Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), emphasized the importance of preventing fraudulent claims in the Missouri Medicaid program. She noted that these claims divert crucial resources that should be allocated to providing essential services to those in need, such as children and the disabled. Hanley also highlighted the commitment of HHS-OIG to collaborate with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to combat Medicaid fraud schemes and safeguard the integrity of this vital safety net program.
Morgan, Walton, and Jackson have completely severed their ties with A Mother’s Touch In-Home Care LLC.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
