South Carolina woman charged in alleged $9 million fraud involving autism care
COLUMBIA, SC -- Federal authorities are seeking to recover $9 million that they say a S.C. woman stole in a wide-ranging scheme involving false medical bills for treating autistic children.
Susan A. Butler, the “founder” of the S.C. Early Autism Project, is charged with overbilling Tricare and Medicaid, two federal health insurers, and making false claims about patient services. Money the insurers paid for patient care instead went for administrative costs, according to a federal grand jury indictment made public Wednesday.
Butler “paid or caused to be paid kickbacks and bribes to clients by illegally offering free child care services for siblings,” and billed Medicaid and Tricare “at higher rates than allowable for the services rendered,” according to the indictment.
With seven S.C. clinics, the Early Autism Project is the state’s largest care center for autistic children. Its internet site says Butler founded the company in 1995.
Read more here: https://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article224618415.html#storylink=cpy
