CHARLOTTE — Federal agents were granted seizure of two properties owned by a North Carolina woman after she was accused of committing healthcare fraud.
In the civil forfeiture documents, the FBI is seeking the forfeiture of two Charlotte properties: One in a neighborhood on Coves Edge Lane, which the woman bought in May 2022, and the second in a neighborhood on Wild Nursery Court, which the woman bought in October 2022.
According to investigators, the two properties were acquired by “unlawful activity” -- specifically healthcare fraud and wire fraud.
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Authorities believe the woman fraudulently billed an insurance company for services she didn’t provide and/or wasn’t authorized to provide. Investigators said she submitted more than $7 million in fraudulent claims and the insurance company paid her more than $4.2 million.
The woman was a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor until April 27, 2021, investigators said. Records show she was associated with two businesses, neither of which are registered with the North Carolina Secretary of State: TPM Addiction and Christian Psychology and TPM Home Health Care.
In the documents, authorities said an investigation was initiated after the North Carolina Addictions Specialist Professional Practice Board received a complaint that she “improperly provided a psychological evaluation to a patient (a police officer) even though she was not a licensed psychologist.”
When a private investigator with the board contacted her in Jan. 2021, authorities said the woman “thought the Board had already convened and revoked her credentials,” and that she had closed her business.
The board permanently revoked her license in April 2021. Authorities said fraudulent claims were then submitted after her license was revoked -- between April 2021 and December 2022.
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The insurance company, which is not named in the documents, began investigating the woman when it learned in August 2022 that her license had been revoked. It asked her to provide record of her counseling services, and when she did, the company concluded even if she had actually provided those services, she did it while she was unauthorized to do so.
In addition, on Nov. 16, someone went to the Raeford Police Department to say the insurance company contacted her about the case. The company said the woman submitted several medical insurance claims using that person’s information and signature. The victim, identified as “S.B.,” said the woman was her landlord, and that she met her while looking for a new mentor and colleague.
S.B. said the woman told her she was a doctor and she graduated from medical school at Montreat College, which doesn’t have a medical school.
S.B. also said she never received any of the money from the claims the woman submitted in S.B.’s name. However, investigators discovered that wasn’t true, and are still working to understand her involvement in the scheme.
According to investigators, the woman sent two separate wire transfers that nearly match the sale prices of the homes on Coves Edge Lane and Wild Nursery Court. They were able to determine she used money that she fraudulently obtained in order to buy them.
According to a settlement agreement dated April 13, the parties agreed on the terms and the properties will be forfeited to authorities.
The woman’s attorney told Channel 9 there are no criminal charges over the case filed against her, and he has no further comment.
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