Sherley L. Beaufils, 43, a Rockdale County, Ga., nurse practitioner, faces substantial time in federal prison after a jury found her guilty of healthcare fraud, aggravated identity theft, and other counts in a multimillion-dollar telemedicine fraud scheme. As described in court documents and testimony, Beaufils, as a nurse practitioner, facilitated orders for more than 3,000 orthotic braces that generated more than $3 million in fraudulent or excessive charges to Medicare. Co-conspirators captured the identities of senior citizens, identified through a telemarketing scheme, and bundled that information as “leads.” Beaufils then signed her name to fake medical records, in which she falsely claimed she provided examinations of those patients, and then created orders for orthotic braces for patients she never met or spoke with — including a knee brace for an amputee, and a back brace for a recently deceased patient — and other durable medical equipment, in exchange for money. Beaufils’s fraudulent orders were then sold to companies that would generate reimbursement from Medicare.
