The United States Attorney's Office

CORPUS CHRISTI AREA PSYCHOLOGIST CONVICTED OF DEFRAUDING MEDICAID

(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) - A federal jury has convicted Dr. Sam Smith Hill III, 61, a licensed psychologist with a professional office in Corpus Christi, of defrauding Medicaid, United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot announced today. The jury’s verdict was announced Monday evening, June 30, 2008, after approximately seven hours of deliberation.

Hill was convicted of six counts of health care fraud for defrauding the Texas Medicaid program by billing for services he did not perform during 2008, as alleged in a superceding indictment returned in June 2008. He faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment for each count of conviction.

Hill was indicted in June 2008 with 19 counts of Health Care Fraud arising from a scheme in which he was accused of fraudulently billing Medicaid and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Inc. for services not performed by a licensed psychologist on various occasions between May 2003 through May 2008. Medicaid rules prohibit a psychologist from billing Medicaid for psychological services not personally provided by the licensed psychologist. The indictment alleged Hill devised and executed a scheme in which he billed Medicaid for services he had not personally provided.
 
The jury convicted Hill of six counts of defrauding the Texas Medicaid program between January 2008 and May 2008, while acquitting him of the remaining counts. 

The FBI and the State of Texas Office of Attorney General--Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Corpus Christi Division conducted the three and a half year investigation which lead to the charges against Hill. 

U.S. District Judge Hayden Head, who presided over the trial, has set sentencing for Sept. 18, 2008. Hill has been permitted to remain free on bond pending his sentencing.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rex Beasley.

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