Las Vegas nurse practicioner admits to billing over $14M in fraudulent Medicare claims

A Las Vegas medical professional pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of Medicare fraud after fraudulently billing Medicare for millions of dollars, according to a news release from the United States Department of Justice.

Mary Huntly, 67, a nurse practitioner, admitted in court to applying “unnecessary allografts” to Medicare beneficiaries. The allografts, tissue or organ transplants that go from one person to another, were administered, according to the DOJ, for “illegal kickbacks and bribes.”

Huntly admitted that, from September 2022 through April 2024, a wound care company she ran fraudulently billed Medicare over $14 million. Medicare, the DOJ said, paid out over $9.1 million on the false claims.

Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people 65 and up. The case was investigated by the FBI, Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

“Medicare and Medicaid, crucial components of our nation’s health care system, are funded by a limited pool of resources,” Special Agent in Charge Amir Ehsaei of the FBI’s Las Vegas Division said in the release. “Mary Huntly admitted to exploiting the system and taking advantage of America’s most vulnerable populations. She was a trusted healthcare provider, focusing on wound care, and her abuse is significant.”

Huntly pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive healthcare kickbacks, according to the DOJ. She faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Huntly is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 15. U.S. District Judge James Mahan will preside over the sentencing.

Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.