A Las Vegas nurse practitioner has entered a guilty plea for her role in a scheme to defraud Medicare by billing for unnecessary wound care services. Mary Huntly, 67, admitted to conspiring to bill for medically unjustified amniotic wound allografts in exchange for kickbacks, according to federal officials. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada announced the plea, with sentencing set for October 15.
From September 2022 through April 2024, Huntly's operation led to roughly $14.3 million in false claims to Medicare, of which the program paid out over $9 million. United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada emphasized, "The defendant applied medically unnecessary allografts for patients and received millions in illegal kickbacks from the fraudulent Medicare claims." Chattah added that efforts alongside the FBI, HHS-OIG, and other agencies will continue to target and prosecute those defrauding healthcare systems.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Amir Ehsaei noted the duty of the healthcare system to serve America's vulnerable populations., "Mary Huntly admitted to exploiting the system and taking advantage of America’s most vulnerable populations," he said. "She was a trusted healthcare provider, focusing on wound care, and her abuse is significant." Huntly now faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The investigation into Huntly's actions was a collective effort by the FBI, HHS-OIG, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, as part of the Department of Justice's ongoing initiative to clamp down on healthcare fraud. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Oliva of the District of Nevada and Trial Attorneys Monica Cooper of the Texas Strike Force and Shane Butland of the National Rapid Response Strike Force are prosecuting the case, highlighting that the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program has charged thousands since its inception for fraudulent billing practices.
