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MACON, Ga. — A Georgia business owner who admitted to ordering employees to illegally fix documents will only serve a year and one day in prison after initially facing up to 20 years in prison.
Brenda Hicks, 58, of Macon pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice on June 5.
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Hicks, the owner of Middle Georgia Family Rehab admitted to these acts after a federal investigation was opened into alleged improper healthcare billing by the business.
“Tampering with documents in a federal investigation is a serious offense that will not be ignored by our office,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Protecting the integrity of an investigation is paramount and all those who attempt to obstruct justice will be held accountable.”
Per court documents, Middle Georgia Family Rehab LLC, an outpatient facility owned by Hicks was served with a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) requesting various patient records on Oct. 7, 2019.
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Hicks basically asked employees to create or sign records as the records that were requested were either blank, or missing, officials said.
One employee expressed concern to the other employee that what they were doing was illegal and quit. The other employee complied with Hicks’ instructions and added notes and signatures to patient records as needed.
In addition to her sentence, Hicks was ordered to pay nearly $200,000 in restitution to TRICARE, Medicare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicaid and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
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