A Michigan woman was convicted Friday, Nov. 22, for her role in a conspiracy to defraud the United States and receive illegal health care kickbacks, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Mary Smettler-Bolton, 71, of Oakland County, referred Medicare beneficiaries to several Metro Detroit home health companies in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks paid by the owners and operators of the home health companies, according to a DOJ release.
Over the course of four years, Smettler-Bolton and her co-conspirators caused over $1.4 million of loss to Medicare.
Smettler-Bolton was convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and receive illegal health care kickbacks and one count of violating the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
She is scheduled to be sentenced on March 3, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy count and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the kickback count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The conviction came just one day after a California physician pleaded guilty for her role in falsely certifying patients for home health care for at least four Los Angeles area home health agencies, resulting in a loss to Medicare of at least $1.45 million.
Read the full releases below: