Woman pretended to be physician assistant, swindled Georgians out of $147K

ATLANTA — A former physician assistant was sentenced to federal prison for her role in a healthcare fraud scheme.

In September 2019, Theresa Pickering, 55, of Norcross, was hired as a licensed physician’s assistant at a family practice in Norcross.

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Court documents show that Pickering was not a licensed physician assistant in Georgia at that time. Since March 2014, she reportedly hadn’t been a licensed physician’s assistant in any state.

Before relocating to Georgia and being hired as a licensed physician assistant at the Norcross-based family practice, Pickering was sentenced to prison in 2015.

She was sentenced for a fraud and narcotics case related to illegal practices as a physician assistant in Mississippi, the release states.

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While working at the Norcross practice, federal officials said Pickering treated patients, diagnosed illnesses, ordered diagnostic tests and lab work, handled sick visits and prescribed drugs to patients, which she was reportedly not authorized by law to do.

Authorities said she also issued prescriptions, including for controlled substances, without the doctor’s permission. According to the release, this caused the practice to submit nearly $147,000 in fraudulent claims for reimbursement to Medicare and several private insurance companies.

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“Pickering did not learn from her previous fraud conviction. Instead, she chose to continue to endanger patient lives through theft and lies,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.

On Tuesday, Pickering was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $48,742.30 in restitution.

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