New Jersey Court Sentences Nurse Practitioner and Husband to Prison for $136 Million Medicare Fraud

Jean Wilson, 54, was sentenced Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey to 10 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for her role in a Medicare fraud scheme that submitted more than $136 million in false claims, the Washington Examiner reported.

Wilson owned and operated two telehealth companies that paid medical providers to order orthotic devices and prescription drugs for Medicare patients who did not need them.

As a licensed nurse, she signed many of the fraudulent prescriptions herself. Wilson and co-conspirators then sold the orders and forged prescriptions to marketing companies for an average of $90 per beneficiary. Bribed practitioners signed orders for four or more orthotic braces per beneficiary in more than 3,000 patient files, with over 40 beneficiaries each receiving orders for 10 or more devices.

Medicare paid out more than $66 million on the fraudulent claims submitted over two years. Wilson's husband, Reinaldo Wilson, was sentenced in February to seven years in prison for his role in the conspiracy. The couple used proceeds from the scheme to purchase luxury vehicles, including several Rolls-Royces.

Wilson was ordered to pay $66 million in restitution and forfeit $7.8 million. Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division said the defendant exploited the health care system by conspiring to submit over $136 million in false claims.

He added that the sentence underscores the Fraud Division’s commitment to fighting fraud and recovering stolen taxpayer dollars. Wilson previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and healthcare fraud. She has written several books on healthcare fraud, including Avoiding Health Care Pitfalls, which remains available for purchase.