Man facing a new charge of Medicaid fraud 2 years after his mother died from neglect, records show

SAN ANTONIO – A person accused of critically neglecting his 74-year-old mother ahead of she died is now charged with bilking Medicaid out of greater than $60,000 as he cashed healthcare supplier tests, government mentioned.

Juan Huerta, 52, used to be charged with Medicaid fraud between $30,000 and $150,000, two years after his mother, Maria, used to be discovered lifeless of their Elmendorf house, records with the Bexar County Jail show.

He is accused of falsifying his paintings hours when used to be a non-public care attendant, or PCA, for his mother beneath the Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership program.

The Texas Office of the Attorney General mentioned for greater than 3 years, Juan Huerta used to be hired as Maria Huerta’s PCA however failed to offer her with clinical deal with accidents that resulted in her dying.

On Sept. 4, 2021, officials discovered Maria Huerta lifeless in an emaciated state, Sheriff Javier Salazar prior to now mentioned. She had bedsores and open wounds and used to be malnourished.

Salazar mentioned Juan Huerta didn’t search healthcare for his mother, regardless of figuring out the severity of her accidents.

Juan Huerta used to be to start with arrested for harm to the aged with physically harm by means of omission — a charge he used to be later discovered incompetent to face trial for, records show.

Documents show he used to be lately arrested in reference to the fraud investigation.

Suspect cashed tests as he labored as a trucker

The Texas Office of the Attorney General opened a fraud investigation on Sept. 7, 2021.

Investigators mentioned Huerta used to be a PCA between April 2018 and October 2021 and used to be hired by means of Primavera Primary Home Care, Inc. (PPHC) and Girling Community Care (GCC).

An arrest warrant affidavit states that via this system, Medicaid shoppers coordinate with the house well being company, on this case, PPHC and GCC, for family members to offer help with day-to-day actions, like grooming and bathing.

Authorities mentioned Juan Huerta clocked in at PPHC and/or GCC the usage of digital seek advice from verification (EVV) tokens to assert services and products that he didn’t supply to his mother.

Meanwhile, he used to be hired by means of more than one trucking corporations and falsified paintings hours whilst he used to be at the street, the affidavit states.

Huerta instructed a detective that he had his spouse take a image of the numbers at the EVV token software so he may clock in, although he used to be now not on the place of abode, the affidavit states.

An investigation published about 2,304 conflicting hours, leading to an overpayment of Medicaid price range within the quantity of $63,557.35.

“The information suspect provided PPHC and GCC was fraudulent and that the services were never provided,” the affidavit states. “She experienced an extraordinary level of neglect, and did not receive the personal care services that were allegedly provided.”

A warrant for his arrest at the fraud charge used to be issued on Friday.

Juan Huerta mentioned he used to be in ‘financial hard times’

When he used to be first arrested, Juan Huerta instructed BCSO that he fed and helped shower his mother to start with, however stopped taking her to the bathe as a result of “he was out of energy,” a separate arrest warrant affidavit states.

When investigators requested why he didn’t have sufficient “energy” to take her to the bathe once or more all the way through that time period, he answered that he “did the best he could,” the affidavit states.

He added that he stopped taking her to the physician’s place of job because of COVID-19.

(*2*) the affidavit states. “Juan would excuse his actions by continually saying, he did the best he could with the training and experience given to him by a group of registered nurses he would visit.”

Juan Huerta instructed investigators that he labored full-time as a trucker however persevered to log hours for the healthcare corporate as a result of he used to be in ”monetary exhausting occasions.”

Affidavit published stressful information about mother’s dying

Warning: The following paragraphs comprise graphic content material.

Maria Huerta used to be discovered lifeless because of accidents together with malnutrition, mattress sores and necrosis in her extremities. She additionally had maggots in her uncovered wounds, a testimony states.

Authorities mentioned a healthcare consultant first reported issues in regards to the girl’s well being in February of 2020.

She had smelled of a urinary tract an infection on the time, the consultant reported, and she or he had bedsores and discolored ft.

Deputies mentioned Juan Huerta refused to permit an ambulance to take his mother on the time, telling paramedics to “leave his mother alone.”

He reassured them she used to be in just right care.

When police and paramedics discovered the girl lifeless, she had a number of pores and skin ulcers that just about uncovered the bone beneath. Her mattress used to be dirty with physically fluids.

Juan Huerta instructed deputies he knew for months that his mother had maggots in her wounds. “God put them there,” he mentioned.

The affidavit states he knew about her massive wounds between six to twelve months ahead of her dying.

Following his arrest, Juan Huerta instructed media contributors that his mother died from “being old.”

“My mother passed away of being old. The Lord took her on Saturday at 10:30 if you all really want to know,” he mentioned all the way through a perp stroll.

In a listening to held in May, Juan Huerta used to be discovered incompetent to face trial within the harm to the aged charge. At some level, he might be discovered competent after which the trial procedure can start once more.