Attorney General Josh Stein Announces Medicaid Fraudster Conviction

RALEIGH, NC (March 29, 2019) — Attorney General Josh Stein today announced that Andrea Monique Purnell of Wade pleaded guilty to one count of Medicaid provider fraud in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

“This individual defrauded the Medicaid program and wasted taxpayer money in the process,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “My office will continue to hold people responsible for healthcare fraud and abuse.”

Purnell, formerly known as Andrea Boatman Hall, was the owner, operator, manager and/or CEO of Extended Reach Day Treatment for Children and Adolescents, a behavioral health services provider that offered “day treatment” services. From 2013 to 2016, Purnell engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicaid by submitting claims that included additional units of day treatment services that were higher than what was provided. Purnell also billed for day treatment services on dates when patients never received any services and billed for psychotherapy services that were never provided.

In all, Purnell defrauded Medicaid out of $337,615.42. Purnell is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 6, 2019.

The investigation and prosecution of this case was conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, and the North Carolina Department of Justice’s Medicaid Investigations Division.

About the Medicaid Investigations Division (MID)

The Attorney General’s MID investigates fraud and abuse by healthcare companies and providers, as well as patient abuse and neglect in facilities that are funded by Medicaid. Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that helps provide medical care for people with limited income. To date, the MID has recovered more than $850 million in restitution and penalties for North Carolina.

To report Medicaid fraud in North Carolina, call the North Carolina Medicaid Investigations Division at 919-881-2320.