Operators Of Cheyenne Behavioral Health Clinic Sentenced In Fraud Case

The owner of a Cheyenne Behavioral Health Clinic and her daughter have been handed down sentences and been ordered to pay restitution for defrauding Wyoming Medicaid.

That's according to a release from the Office of U.S. Attorney for Wyoming Darin Smith.

According to the release, 47-year-old Tera Marie Campbell of  Maitland, Florida owned The Olive Branch, LLC, a behavioral health clinic that offered services for children with autism in Cheyenne and Minot. North Dakota. According to the release, Campbell used the clinic to "orchestrate a multi-year Medicaid fraud scheme that included fraudulent Medicaid claims for uncertified care, claims upcoded to a higher-paying service, and bills for services that did not occur. This included dates when the clinic was closed and while Campbell was out of the country on vacation."

Campbell's daughter, 27-year-old Tayler Ann Krause of McDavid, Florida worked as a medical biller and helped with documentation from December of 2020 until October of 2022.

The charges say that the clinic used untrained employees, falsified certification and submitted fraudulent Medicaid claims even though they knew the services didn't meet Medicaid standards

Campbell Faces Prison Time, Krause Gets Home Confinement

According to the release "Campbell was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release, while Krauss received two years of home confinement. The court ordered both women to pay $735,717.63 in restitution to Wyoming Medicaid for losses related to the conspiracy. The judge also ordered Campbell to pay $135,890.91 to the military's Tricare program, specifying that Krauss is co-responsible for up to $71,509.44 of the Tricare total. Separately, Campbell was sentenced in January for related frauds in North Dakota, where she received a three-year suspended sentence, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to repay an additional $225,000 to North Dakota’s Medicaid program."

The pair pleaded guilty on April 9. U.S. District Court Judge Kelly Rankin sentenced Krauss on June 29 and Campbell on June 30 in Cheyenne.