GEORGIA (WJBF) – A Georgia nurse practitioner will spend time in federal prison and has to pay back more than $1.6 million in restitution after a massive telemedicine fraud scheme.
According to the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s office, Sherley L. Beaufils, 44, of Conyers, participated in an illegal kickback conspiracy.
According to the court documents, Beaufils facilitated orders for more than 3,000 orthotic braces that generated more than $3 million in fraudulent or excessive charges to Medicare, and then, her co-conspirators captured the identities of senior citizens, identified through a telemarketing scheme, and bundled that information as “leads.”
The documents also state that Beaufils signed her name to fake medical records in which she falsely claimed she provided examinations of those patients, and then in exchange for money, she created orders for orthotic braces for patients she never met or spoke with – including a knee brace for an amputee, and a back brace for a recently deceased patient – and for other durable medical equipment.
Authorities say that Beaufils’ fraudulent orders were then sold to companies to generate reimbursement from Medicare.
According to U.S. Attorney David H. Estes, Beaufils was charged with five counts each of Health Care Fraud, False Statements Related to Health Care, and Aggravated Identity Theft.
Authorities say Beaufils has been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison, and she must pay $1,635,161.61 restitution and to serve three years of supervised release after completion of her prison term.