Former Louisiana Hospice Care Owner Convicted of Defrauding Medicare Out of More Than $1.5 Million
Former Louisiana Hospice Care Owner Convicted of Defrauding Medicare Out of More Than $1.5 Million
Lafayette, Louisiana – A former Louisiana hospice care owner has been convicted of defrauding Medicare out of more than $1.5 million.
On April 6, 2023, United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that a federal jury returned a guilty verdict against Kristal Glover-Wing, 50, of Broussard, Louisiana, for one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and three counts of health care fraud following a trial that lasted nearly four weeks. Dr. Gary M. Wiltz and Dr. Charles H. Louis were each acquitted on their charges in the indictment. Judge Robert R. Summerhays presided over the trial.
Glover-Wing owned Angel Care Hospice (“Angel Care”), a Louisiana corporation that claimed to provide hospice services in Lafayette Parish and adjacent parishes in Louisiana’s Western District. Jurors learned from the evidence presented at trial that Angel Care placed over 24 patients on hospice without matching the Medicare criteria from around 2009 to 2017. None of the patients had been diagnosed with a terminal illness during their stay on hospice and under the care and supervision of Angel Care. In fact, several of the patients, who are still alive and well many years later, as well as family members of other patients, claimed that they had no idea they were on hospice. According to the testimony, many of the patients were enjoying normal lives while on hospice care, and while the majority of them did have medical issues, none had been diagnosed as terminally ill. The false claims filed to Medicare and reimbursed to Angel Care cost Medicare about $1,539,161.10.
“Krystal Glover-Wing defrauded the government and we thank the jury for holding her accountable. We will now move forward to her sentencing hearing,” stated U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “I thank the trial team and investigators for staying the course throughout years of investigating and a hard-fought trial. Although the doctors in this case were ultimately acquitted, we as prosecutors present the facts to a federal grand jury when we truly believe there has been a violation of federal law that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Furthermore, if the grand jury decides to indict, we are not afraid to proceed to trial and give a federal trial jury the chance to ultimately decide someone’s guilt or innocence based on the evidence that we have. The verdict rendered in this case is evidence that the system can be just, fair and the trial jury has the ultimate prerogative to convict or acquit.”
“Whenever Medicare providers are motivated by greed, our most vulnerable citizens, the elderly, are put at risk,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jeff Richards of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG agents will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate providers who loot the Medicare Trust Fund.”
Glover-Wing faces up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud, 10 years in prison for health care fraud, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly P. Uebinger, Danny Siefker, and Lauren L. Gardner.
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