Former Butte nurse admits health care fraud

A 40-year-old former nurse practitioner in Butte pleaded guilty to prescribing controlled substances despite having a suspended license.

The defendant, Tristan Ashley Svejkovsky, also admitted to falsely billing an insurance company approximately $61 million for vitamin B-12 injections in which she received nearly $600,000 for the false claims, according to information from the office of U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich.

Svejkovsky appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto on Aug. 1 and pleaded guilty to health care fraud and to use of a registration number issued to another person. Svejkovsky faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the health care fraud charge and a maximum of four years in prison, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release on the charge of using the registration of another person. DeSoto set a sentencing hearing for Dec. 12.

Svejkovsky was a nurse practitioner whose license was suspended by the Montana Board of Nursing on April 1, 2022, according to a statement from Laslovich’s office. Svejkovsky reportedly continued to prescribe controlled substances using her own name and Drug Enforcement Administration registration number until June 8, 2022.

“The DEA contacted Svejkovsky through her attorney, and she agreed to voluntarily surrender her DEA registration,” reads the statement. “However, Svejkovsky continued to prescribe controlled substances using the name and DEA registration number of a friend who also was nurse practitioner. Svejkovsky misrepresented to her friend that her nursing license was on probation, not suspended, and that she would not use her friend’s information to prescribe drugs. In fact, Svejkovsky used her friend’s name and DEA registration number for at least 12 prescriptions of controlled substances.”

Svejkovsky billed Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana for vitamin B-12 injections that did not occur, and in August 2021, she began to falsely increase the number of units of a standard vitamin B-12 injection from one unit to 1,000 units, according to Laslovich’s office.

“This increased the corresponding payment from the insurance company for each injection from roughly $4.88 to $4,880,” reads the statement. “After her license was suspended, Svejkovsky started submitting numerous such claims each month to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana by backdating claims to supposedly before her license was suspended.”

Svejkovsky’s conduct continued through May 2022, when she submitted four claims, this time claiming $15 million per vitamin B-12 injection to a new patient, according to Laslovich’s office.

“Svejkovsky never gave that patient any vitamin injections, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana did not pay those claims,” reads the statement. “In total, Svejkovsky billed the insurance company at least $61,995,000 for false vitamin B-12 injections and received at least $593,583 from those false claims.”

The case against Svejkovsky was based on an investigation by the DEA and FBI.