Michigan Man Indicted in Alleged $4.75M Medicare Psychotherapy Fraud

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Michigan returned an indictment charging Emory Matthews, 62, of Farmington Hills, Michigan, with conspiring to bill Medicare for psychotherapy services that were never provided to patients of an adult day care center owned by his wife. He was arrested yesterday. 

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, Emory Matthews was a managing employee and administrator of New Beginnings Adult Center Inc., an adult day care center in Detroit depicted below.

A repeat felon from Michigan was arrested and charged with conspiring to bill $4.75 million to Medicare for psychotherapy services that were never provided to patients at an adult day care center owned by his wife. Read more: https://t.co/epKF7jfJHE pic.twitter.com/u22GLwLuYT

— OIG at HHS (@OIGatHHS) September 16, 2026

Matthews was previously convicted of soliciting and receiving illegal healthcare kickbacks and bribes stemming from his earlier operation of the adult day care center. As a result of that conviction, he was excluded from billing Medicare. 

As alleged in the indictment, Matthews and his wife, Yolanda Matthews:

• Submitted false and fraudulent claims for individual and group psychotherapy services that were not provided; 
• Billed Medicare for services purportedly provided to beneficiaries at New Beginnings when in fact those beneficiaries were hospitalized at the time and could not have received the services; 
• Billed Medicare for services purportedly provided to beneficiaries at New Beginnings when those beneficiaries were deceased;
• Used the names of former employees on false claims submitted to Medicare; and
• Fraudulently concealed Matthews’ exclusion from Medicare by failing to disclose his role as a managing employee of New Beginnings as required by the rules. 

From January 2020 through June 2025, Matthews allegedly participated in submitting over $4.75 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. 

Yolanda Matthews pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud on July 27. 

Emory Matthews is charged with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and three counts of healthcare fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count.

Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan of the FBI Detroit Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ethridge of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

The FBI Detroit Field Office and HHS-OIG investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Jeffrey A. Crapko of the Fraud Division’s Health Care Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Fraud Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal healthcare programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in healthcare fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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