BALTIMORE, MD—A federal judge in the the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland has awarded a $26 million judgment against a laboratory company and its owner, accusing the company of defrauding the federal government out of millions of dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patrick Britton-Harr owns Provista Health, LLC. The company is accused of offering COVID-19 tests to nursing homes as a way to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary tests. The tests were not medically necessary because the patients had no symptoms of the virus.

Prosecutors say Britton-Harr also sold a house in Annapolis that he was not allowed to sell. A judge has ordered him to pay $575,000 in restitution.

“The exploitation of federal health care programs designed to help the elderly and disabled during a national crisis is absolutely inexcusable,” said Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. “Regardless of their methods, we will hold accountable those who defraud such programs for personal gain,” said Barron.

Britton-Harr is also accused of taking over $575,000 from a bank account that he was not entitled to. The government is seeking to obtain a lien against Britton-Harr.

“It’s clear that Patrick Britton-Harr thought he could defraud the government by taking advantage of a global pandemic and never face the consequences. The extent of his fraud and abuse is astounding. He took critical resources away from our healthcare system and cost taxpayers their hard-earned money,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office. “This investigation proves the FBI and our federal partners will continue to investigate and bring criminals like Britton-Harr to justice no matter how long it takes.”

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

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