Attorney General Phil Weiser charges Medicaid biller for $1.2 million in false liquid nutrition claims

Attorney General Phil Weiser charges Medicaid biller for $1.2 million in false liquid nutrition claims

Aug. 14, 2024 (DENVER) - Attorney General Phil Weiser announced today that he filed fraud and theft charges against a woman in an alleged Medicaid fraud scheme that cost taxpayers over $1.2 million in losses. Natasha Sawyer, 44, of Denver, is accused of submitting false claims to the state of $1,217,933 when she worked as a Medicaid biller for Element Medical Supply, a durable medical equipment company.

An investigation by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Colorado Department of Law found that from May 2020 to March 2021, Sawyer allegedly submitted false claims for enteral formula, a liquid nutrition product used to feed patients who are unable to consume enough food orally. While Sawyer billed millions of calories of formula, only about 5% of the product billed to Medicaid was delivered to patients. Investigators were able to link a username and IP addresses used to submit the claims in question to Sawyer's location and identity.

"Not only does taking advantage of the state's Medicaid system harm all of us as taxpayers, it harms the entire health care system by threatening to erode trust in providers," Weiser said. "We will not hesitate to investigate and prosecute those who exploit Medicaid and the patients the system serves."

Sawyer is charged with Medicaid fraud and waste false claims of $1 million or more and cybercrime theft of $1 million or more, both class two felonies. The case is filed in Denver County District Court, case number 24CR04818.

The filing of criminal charges is a formal accusation that an individual committed a crime under Colorado law. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The Colorado Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $3,795,665 for federal fiscal year 2024. The remaining 25%, totaling $1,265,221, is funded by the state of Colorado for the federal fiscal year.

Coloradans who are aware of or suspect Medicaid fraud are encouraged to file a complaint with the attorney general at StopFraudColorado.gov.

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