A Suwanee behavioral therapist who ran her own autism and disability services company now faces 31 felony counts after state prosecutors accused her of billing Georgia Medicaid for more than $40,000 in therapy sessions she never actually provided. Melissa Howard, 49, owned and operated Behavior Solutions, LLC, and stands accused of submitting claims for in-home and group-setting therapy while she was allegedly traveling outside the state.
Howard was indicted on September 15 in DeKalb County on 16 counts of Medicaid fraud and 15 counts of false statements and writings, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. State prosecutors say Howard was the sole owner and sole rendering provider of Behavior Solutions, working as a Behavior Support Specialist delivering behavioral therapy planning for autistic and disabled clients, according to the Georgia Attorney General's Office. The indictment describes Howard as the company's sole rendering provider.
State officials allege Howard billed Georgia Medicaid for services she never provided while she was traveling away from Georgia, and prosecutors say the alleged scheme targeted funds intended for disabled and autistic patients. Attorney General Chris Carr said his office will aggressively prosecute anyone abusing programs meant for vulnerable citizens, per the same account. State officials have not confirmed the exact dates or destinations of Howard's alleged out-of-state travel, and the Attorney General's Office has not released additional investigation details.
The Indictment in DeKalb County
Although Howard is from Suwanee, a DeKalb County grand jury returned the indictment against her.
The case was built by the Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division. Since Chris Carr took office, the Georgia Attorney General's Office has reported nearly $26 million in restitution orders in criminal matters and more than $138 million in civil judgments and settlements. Howard's arraignment has not been publicly announced, and no court date has been set.
Georgia's Autism Therapy Program and a Pattern of Fraud Cases
Georgia Medicaid offers Applied Behavior Analysis and behavioral support therapy services to members under 21, according to the Waiver Consulting Group.
Howard's indictment follows a string of recent Medicaid fraud cases involving Georgia behavioral health providers. In a case Hoodline covered last month, a Fulton County grand jury indicted Desmond Maul, owner of Conyers-based Family 360, Inc., on 33 felony counts on August 18 for allegedly billing Medicaid more than $88,000 using a deceased psychiatrist's signature over a two-year period. And in January, Warner Robins resident Elizabeth Sue Ivester was sentenced in federal court to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $5.4 million in restitution in a separate Medicaid identity theft scheme, according to an announcement from Carr's office.
Under O.C.G.A. § 49-4-146.1, a Medicaid fraud conviction is a felony punishable by one to 10 years in prison and a criminal fine of up to $10,000 per violation. Separately, false-statement and writing offenses carry one to five years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. With 16 fraud counts and 15 false-statement counts combined, Howard faces significant potential prison exposure if convicted on all charges.
The Charges Against Howard
Howard is accused of billing Medicaid for roughly $40,000. The indictment includes 16 counts of Medicaid fraud and 15 counts of false statements and writings.
