BALTIMORE, MD—A South Carolina man faces federal charges in Maryland for allegedly orchestrating multi-million-dollar Medicare fraud and Ponzi schemes, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Two indictments unsealed in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore accuse Charleston resident Michael Britton-Harr, 45, of defrauding Medicare and customers of his private charter jet company, according Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.
In the first indictment, Britton-Harr is charged with five counts of healthcare fraud for submitting false claims to Medicare, through his company Provista Health. Prosecutors allege that from 2019 to 2022, he operated a scheme involving fraudulent billing for medical equipment and services, resulting in millions of dollars in losses to the federal healthcare program.
The second indictment charges Britton-Harr, who formerly lived in Annapolis, with wire fraud and securities fraud related to a Ponzi scheme targeting investors in his private jet charter business. Authorities say he misled clients into investing substantial sums, promising high returns, while using new investor funds to pay earlier investors, a hallmark of a Ponzi scheme. The alleged fraud caused significant financial harm to victims, prosecutors said.
“It is unconscionable for someone to defraud the government and others for personal gain, especially as we faced a global health crisis,” said Hayes. “Britton-Harr showed a total disregard for those who depend on our Medicare system for health care services and for the individuals he scammed through his private-jet company. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our federal law-enforcement partners to bring those to justice who break the law and take advantage of others.”
The charges were announced in coordination with the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, and the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
If convicted, Britton-Harr faces up to seven years in prison for each count of healthcare fraud and wire fraud, and up to 20 years for securities fraud. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering sentencing guidelines and other factors.
Britton-Harr’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The case remains under investigation, and authorities are urging anyone with information to contact the FBI.
This story is based on a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
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