AUGUSTA, GA: A Rockdale County, Georgia nurse has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay more than $1.6 million in compensation for her role in a massive telemedicine scam scheme.
Sherley L. Beaufils, 44, of Conyers, Georgia, was sentenced to 87 months in prison after a US District Court jury found her on five counts each of involvement in an illegal kickback conspiracy and five counts of healthcare fraud and false testimony related to of health care and aggravated identity theft,” said David H. Estes, US Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Judge Dudley H. Bowen also ordered Beaufils to pay $1,635,161.61 in damages and be released under supervision after completing her sentence for three years. There is no probation in the federal system.
“Sherley Beaufils let greed run wild when she reaped massive profits by ordering unnecessary medical equipment for patients she had never examined or spoken to,” said US Attorney Estes. “She targeted the elderly and medically vulnerable with her plans and will now be held accountable.”
As described in court documents and witness testimony, Beaufils, as a registered nurse, facilitated orders for more than 3,000 orthopedic braces that netted Medicare more than $3 million in fraudulent or inflated fees. Co-conspirators captured the identities of seniors identified through a telemarketing program and pooled that information as “leads.”
Beaufils then signed fake medical records with her name, falsely claiming she had performed exams on these patients, and then, in exchange for money, created orders for orthopedic braces for patients she had never met or spoken to — including a knee brace for an amputee. and a back brace for a recently deceased patient—and for other long-lasting medical devices. Beaufils’ fraudulent orders were then sold to companies in order to receive reimbursement from Medicare.
“Beaufils has exploited vulnerable populations, undermined patient confidence and squandered valuable taxpayer dollars to maximize their own profits,” said Tamala E. Miles, acting special agent for the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG ). “HHS-OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, strives to investigate and hold to account those who engage in healthcare fraud.”
“Beaufils falsified medical records and exams out of personal greed,” said Keri Farley, the FBI’s Atlanta Special Agent in Charge. “We are proud of the work our agents and law enforcement partners are doing to end this abuse of taxpayers and the Medicare system.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Office of the Inspector General of the US Department of Health and Human Services and was prosecuted for the United States by Assistant US Attorneys Jonathan A. Porter and Patricia G. Rhodes.