Georgia nurse practitioner guilty of $3M telemedicine fraud

A jury found a Georgia nurse practitioner guilty of five counts of healthcare fraud, aggravated identity theft and other charges related to a multimillion dollar telemedicine scheme.

After a two-day trial, Sherley Beaufils, 43, of Conyers, Ga., was convicted by a jury on Feb. 1 for illegal kickback conspiracy, five counts of healthcare fraud, false statements related to healthcare and aggravated identity theft, Barry Paschal, public affairs officer for the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office told Becker's. 

"Indicted in the Southern District as part of the nationwide Operation Brace Yourself initiative targeting healthcare fraud, Sherley Beaufils profited by signing unnecessary orders for orthotic braces for patients she never examined or spoke to," David Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, said in a U.S. Justice Department news release. "Her greed was her undoing  —  and she is now being held accountable for targeting the elderly with her serial fraud."

Ms. Beaufils targeted Medicare, signing over 3,000 orders for orthotic braces for patients she never interacted with, generating more than $3 million in fraudulent or excessive charges to the insurance program.

Ms. Beaufils' co-conspirators used a telemarketing scheme to gather patient information from and target senior citizens. Ms. Beaufils then falsely claimed to have examined those patients, signed her name to fake medical records and put in orders for orthotic braces and other medical equipment in exchange for money. The fraudulent orders were sold to companies, generating reimbursement for Medicare.

Ms. Beaufils faces up to 10 years in prison on each count of healthcare fraud, two years on each count of aggravated identity theft and five years in prison on all other counts. 

Her sentencing date has not been set.

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