MEDCO owner guilty

By Amanda Stewart

Published: August 11, 2008

A Woodbridge woman recently pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Alexandria to federal heath care fraud charges.

According to federal prosecutors, Annette Fleming-McClatchey, 47, owner and president of MEDCO, a medical supply store in Woodbridge, filed dozens of false claims to Medicaid over a four-year period beginning in September 2003.

She pleaded guilty to one count of federal health care fraud Thursday. Prosecutors dropped 23 other counts of health care fraud.

According to court documents, Fleming-McClatchey billed Medicaid for medical supplies that were either never provided to patients or not medically necessary.

During the FBI investigation, 33 out of 43 Medicaid patients interviewed reported that they received fewer medical supplies than what Fleming-McClatchey reported to Medicaid. Some patients reported that they never received the medical supplies at all, according to court documents.

Federal investigators estimated that Fleming-McClatchey defrauded Medicaid of more than $3.7 million during the four-year period.

Fleming-McClatchey's company, MEDCO, was also known at various times as Medical Company, Professional Medical Supplies, Professional Medical Supplies and Equipment, Professional Home Care & Associates and Professional Healthcare, according to court documents.

Fleming-McClatchey faces up to ten years in prison, a fine of $250,000, full restitution, a $100 special assessment and three years of supervised release. She will be sentenced on Nov. 7.

Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.