East Tennesseans indicted in national health care fraud crackdown

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Six defendants in East Tennessee face federal criminal charges in connection to alleged schemes involving fraudulent claims for home health services, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

On Thursday, the DOJ’s office released that 193 people across the United States were charged as part of a strategically-coordinated law enforcement action for their alleged participation in healthcare fraud and opioid abuse schemes . In total, the schemes reportedly resulted in the submission of more than $2.75 billion in alleged false billings.

Among those were Caleb Mullins, 40, Megan Mullins, 37 both of Oak Ridge and CAMM Care, LLC, which were doing business as Patriot Homecare. The release stated that the three defendants were indicted for their role in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Worker’s Compensation Program, Division of Energy Employees, Occupational Illness Compensation (DOL-DEEOIC).

According to the DOJ, Caleb Mullins, the owner and president of CAMM Care, and Megan Mullins, the executive vice president of CAMM CARE, conspired with each other and others not named in the indictment to create and submit fraudulent payments claims for homecare services that were not actually rendered.

If the name Patriot Homecare sounds familiar, it may be because of a report tha t FBI agents were searching the business amid an ongoing investigation in 2022. At this time, the DOJ has not confirmed if the search as related to the indictment.

Three other individuals from East Tennessee were charged in separate indictments with defrauding the DOL-DEEOIC. Samantha Seiber, 35, of Wartburg, Apryl Hard, 46, of Louisville, and Lois Hamby, 62, of Oliver Springs, are accused of having their own DOL-DEEOIC provider numbers and each billed the DOL-DEEOIC for skilled nursing services that were not actually rendered.

The DOL-DEEOIC administers the health care benefit program designed to compensate current or former Department of Energy employees, vendors, contractors, and subcontractors who are diagnosed with occupational illnesses casually linked to toxic chemical exposures during their employment. Among other benefits, the program provides qualifying beneficiaries with home health benefits, like skilled nursing care and non-skilled care.

WATE has reached out to Patriot Homecare for a statement.

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