Texas Woman Admits to Stealing $477,000 From Medicaid and Falsifying Patient Records

The U.S. Attorney’s Office reports that a woman from Magnolia has admitted guilt to Medicaid fraud involving over $477,000, having billed for mental health services that were not actually delivered.

Tekiyah McLeod, 34, was the registered agent for nLove Community Services LLC, a purported mental health therapy company. In a press release shared Friday, officials said McLeod admitted she billed Medicaid about $477,800 for therapy services that were never delivered, including services she claimed for herself.

Authorities said she drew upon the expertise of a nurse practitioner’s name and National Provider Identifier to file the fraudulent claims without the practitioner’s knowledge.

The Charges Against McLeod

McLeod pleaded guilty to health care fraud and aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. She faces up to 10 years in federal prison for healthcare fraud and a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years for aggravated identity theft, plus a possible $250,000 maximum fine, officials said.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office – Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Virginia Office of the Attorney General – Medicaid Fraud Control Unit both assisted in the probe, which was led by the FBI.

Before her sentence is handed down, McLeod was permitted to stay out on bond. The date for her sentencing has been fixed for Dec. 16.

How the Scheme Worked

Officials said McLeod filed the bills using a nurse practitioner’s name and National Provider Identifier, which she had done under the consent of a provider’s credentials without that provider’s authorization.

She built the fraud using another person’s professional identity, which is what gives the identity theft charge its weight.

The Investigation and the Sentence

The inquiry was directed by the FBI, which received assistance from Medicaid fraud control units in Texas and Virginia.

A sentence that holds serious weight: ten years behind bars for a single offense, and an additional two years tacked on consecutively for identity theft, which brings the combined exposure to roughly 12 years if both counts run together.

A fine of $250,000 is a potential punishment, though not a guaranteed one. Combined, the penalties put both McLeod’s liberty and her money at risk.

McLeod admitted that she billed Medicaid about $477,800 for mental health therapy services that were never provided, including services reportedly provided for herself.

What the Verdict Means

McLeod operated a therapy business and defrauded the system by billing for services that were never delivered. She also borrowed someone else’s professional identity to conceal her scheme. It is a plain case of fraud.

Both health care fraud and aggravated identity theft carry felony penalties, and the sentences handed down show how seriously the court regards those offenses. A decade behind bars in a federal penitentiary for a single act of fraud is a weighty punishment indeed.

Medicaid’s reliance on truth is being tested again, and dishonesty exacts its price.

The sentencing date is Dec. 16.

Source material: “Magnolia woman pleads guilty to $477,000 Medicaid fraud, identity theft, US Attorney's Office says,” ABC13 Houston.

federal charges · healthcare fraud · identity theft · Medicaid fraud · sentencing