University City Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Missouri Medicaid, Pandemic Loan Fraud

Summary

A U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri press release dated 2023-06-21 announcing that U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Deandre D. Horne of University City, Missouri to five years in prison and ordered him to repay $1,474,338 for Medicaid losses and PPP loans. According to the release, in July of 2020 Horne falsely claimed to be sole owner of Budget Towing & Recovery LLC, inflated employees and claimed a monthly payroll of $40,000, and received a $135,707 loan. It states that between July 6, 2017 and March 18, 2021 he billed Missouri Medicaid through Serenity Home Health Care CDS for services not supported by valid records, including while traveling abroad, and was paid $1.2 million. Horne pleaded guilty in February to health care fraud and wire fraud.

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ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah. E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a University City, Missouri man to five years in prison for fraudulently obtaining a $135,000 pandemic loan and defrauding the Missouri Medicaid program out of $1.2 million.
Judge Pitlyk also ordered Deandre D. Horne to repay $1,474,338, representing the Medicaid losses as well as repayment to the Small Business Administration for multiple Paycheck Protection Program loans.
In July of 2020, Horne falsely claimed to be the sole owner of Budget Towing & Recovery LLC to apply for a PPP loan, which was intended to help small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Horne also inflated the number of employees and falsely claimed a monthly payroll of $40,000. He received a $135,707 loan.
Horne did own Serenity Home Health Care CDS, and between July 6, 2017 and March 18, 2021, he fraudulently billed Missouri Medicaid for services that were not supported by valid timesheets or
electronic visit verification
(EVV) documents. Horne created false EVV documentation to support the bills. Horne also admitted falsely claiming to be the personal care attendant for multiple Missouri Medicaid beneficiaries, billing for times when he was traveling elsewhere in the country or to foreign locations.
“DeAndre Horne was actually vacationing in Paris, Chile, Japan, Brussels, Punta Cana, Portugal and Jamaica on the days he claimed to be physically providing home health services in St. Louis,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI’s St. Louis Division. “Medicaid, which is funded by taxpayers, paid him $1.2 million for services his company claimed, but never rendered.”
"By falsely claiming funds from federal health care programs and pandemic relief measures, this individual took valuable resources away from their intended recipients during a time when many Americans were hurting and needed that support," said Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). "As this case demonstrates, HHS-OIG will not hesitate to hold accountable those who attempt to illicitly profit off of public health programs."
Horne pleaded guilty in February to one count of health care fraud and one count of wire fraud.
The case was investigated by the Missouri Attorney General’s office, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Reiter is prosecuting the case.

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