Nursing home operator's fraud sentencing put on hold

By Sue Guinn Legg

The federal court sentencing for the owner and operator of a Washington County nursing home who was convicted last year of $1.4 million in Medicaid fraud was postponed indefinitely on Tuesday after her attorneys asserted newly discovered evidence may have resulted in her acquittal.

U.S. District Court Judge Ronnie Greer canceled the sentencing hearing for Billie Anderson following a telephone conference with her attorney, Dan R. Smith, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia F. Davidson regarding Smith’s motion for a new trial.

Anderson was convicted in September of concealing from the government that the nursing home, Anderson Health Care and later known as St. John’s Health Care, was without a medical director for several months in 2002 and 2003 and thus not entitled to Medicaid payments.

Anderson’s sentencing was originally scheduled for February, but was continued on several occasions after requests by Smith and the government for more time to prepare. Greer heard testimony from prosecution witnesses regarding Anderson’s sentence on June 3 and again on June 17. He was scheduled to hear defense testimony and final arguments on Tuesday.