Written by: E. George
Published June 10, 2024 @ 8:30 PM ET
BIBB COUNTY, Ga. – On Wednesday, June 5, 2024, the owner of Middle Georgia Family Rehab in Macon admitted to fraudulently altering documents during a federal investigation conducted in 2019. Brenda Hicks confessed to ordering two of her employees to change and add information and signatures to patient records while the federal government investigated fraudulent billing at the rehabilitation center.
Investigators requested patient files when they received allegations concerning the center filing false health insurance claims about services rendered and received. Hicks told the employees that an audit was the reason she needed them to create records and signatures if they were missing.
The Department of Justice said that while one employee resigned after suspecting the actions were illegal, the other remained at the center altering and adding notes to files. The rehabilitation center submitted those documents to the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office in December 2019.
As per an agreement, Hicks pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice and faces 20 years maximum in prison followed by three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay a $250,000 fine and restitution to the targeted agencies, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, TRICARE, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicare, and Medicaid.
United States Attorney Peter D. Leary stated, “Anyone who attempts to alter or destroy documents requested as part of a federal investigation will face federal penalties for breaking the law. For the sake of justice and truth, it is imperative that the integrity of the investigation is maintained for the benefit of all parties.”
Middle Georgia Family Rehab was ordered by United States District Judge Tilman E. Self to pay over $9.6 million in penalties and damages for the scheme to the affected companies. Leary explained that hundreds of thousands of dollars were stolen from taxpayers.
Leary stated, “The ‘reckless disregard’ displayed by Middle Georgia Family Rehab in its billing should serve as a warning to other health facilities across Georgia and the nation that filing improper and false claims will come with hefty consequences.”
Hicks’ sentencing hearing is set for September 5, 2024.
