Natavia Boyd-Wells, 41, the owner of Touch of the Heart Home Health Care LLC in north St. Louis County, pleaded guilty yesterday to a federal charge that she billed Missouri Medicaid and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for home care visits that never happened. Federal filings say the scheme ran from about June 2020 through November 2024 and cost the two programs more than $209,000. Prosecutors allege she submitted bogus visit records and then backed them up with fabricated documentation when auditors came asking for proof.
According to the St. Louis Business Journal, Boyd-Wells admitted in U.S. District Court to one count of wire fraud and acknowledged submitting hundreds of false reimbursement claims as owner of Touch of the Heart. The outlet reports that investigators traced the questionable payments to accounts controlled by the company.
Indicted last year on far larger allegations
Boyd-Wells was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024 on allegations that she submitted more than $800,000 in fraudulent claims to Missouri Medicaid and the VA, local outlets reported at the time. Those reports said Missouri Medicaid paid roughly $197,000 into accounts tied to Boyd-Wells while VA reimbursements were reported to exceed $600,000. KTTN covered the indictment and local press coverage.
Prosecutors' account and plea details
Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri say Boyd-Wells admitted billing for services on dates when veteran patients were hospitalized and could not have received home healthcare. U.S. Attorney’s Office filings report that Missouri Medicaid paid at least $109,751 and the VA paid at least $100,563 between about June 2020 and November 2024, and that Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case. The plea was entered in U.S. District Court, and the announcement did not list a sentencing date.
Legal exposure
Boyd-Wells pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which under federal law can carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and significant fines, although actual sentences are driven by the federal sentencing guidelines and the calculated loss amount. For the statute, see the Cornell Law School text of 18 U.S.C. § 1343. In comparable home-health prosecutions, judges commonly order restitution to the harmed public programs in addition to prison time or supervised release.
Part of a pattern prosecutors have pursued
Federal prosecutors say the case fits a broader pattern of phantom-billing schemes among some home-health providers. In May 2024, three people admitted to a conspiracy that fraudulently billed Missouri Medicaid more than $550,000, according to an earlier U.S. Attorney’s Office release, underscoring that investigators and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit have focused on home-health billing. U.S. Attorney’s Office records show investigators worked with HHS‑OIG and state partners on that case.
Sentencing for Boyd-Wells will be scheduled by the federal court. The case remains an active federal prosecution and could result in restitution and other penalties at sentencing.
