News

Actions

Virginia Beach woman pleads guilty to making false statements to Medicaid

Posted at 5:11 PM, Jul 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-24 17:18:27-04

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to making a false statement to the Medicaid Program.

53-year-old Mary Otto worked as the office manager for the Behavioral Neuropsychiatric Group, a psychiatric practice in Virginia Beach. While Otto was in charge of the administrative tasks of the practice, she had no medical training and was not licensed to practice medicine, nor prescribe medications in Virginia.

Court records indicate that the psychiatrist who owned the practice traveled extensively overseas, sometimes for months at a time. During these times, patients of the practice required prescription medication refills. The psychiatrist provided Otto with blank pre-signed prescription pads for Otto to prescribe Schedule II and Schedule III controlled substances in the psychiatrist’s absence.

In one particular instance, Otto prescribed Adderall, a Schedule II controlled substance, to a Medicaid patient. According to the court documents, Medicaid would not have paid for the medication had they known Otto prescribed it.

Otto faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when sentenced on November 5. There is no further information at this time.