A federal jury has convicted Dr. Scharmaine Lawson Baker, a Louisiana-based nurse practitioner and published expert in Medicare regulations, for orchestrating a $12.1 million Medicare fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary cancer genetic tests.
Between 2018 and 2019, Lawson Baker worked as an independent contractor for a Utah-based telehealth company.
According to federal prosecutors, she ordered hundreds of cancer genetic tests for patients she never physically examined, often after phone consultations that lasted less than 60 seconds. In some cases, she falsely diagnosed conditions to justify the tests, including diagnosing male patients with cervical cancer.
Fraud Masked as Free Screenings
Prosecutors say Lawson Baker misled patients by promoting the genetic tests as free cancer screenings. She allegedly failed to review any test results, even those that indicated real genetic predispositions to cancer. Instead, she used false diagnoses to submit fraudulent Medicare claims exceeding $12.1 million. Laboratories involved in the scheme received over $1.5 million in reimbursements.
“This defendant brazenly exploited the federal health care system for personal profit,” said Christian J. Schrank, Deputy Inspector General for Investigations at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Her actions represent a deliberate betrayal of public trust.”
Kickbacks and Concealment
In exchange for signing off on the unnecessary tests, Lawson Baker received kickbacks and bribes from the telehealth company—payments she later failed to disclose in her bankruptcy filing, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Despite her public persona as a Medicare compliance expert and author, prosecutors noted that Lawson Baker systematically violated the very standards she claimed to uphold.
“She shamelessly exploited her medical license and the trust of vulnerable patients to enrich herself through a multimillion-dollar genetic testing fraud,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the DOJ Criminal Division.
Conviction and Sentencing
The jury found Lawson Baker guilty of six counts of health care fraud. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, meaning she faces up to 60 years behind bars. Sentencing is scheduled for November 19, 2025. The final sentence will be determined by a federal judge in accordance with U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutory considerations.
The investigation was led by the FBI and HHS-OIG. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Samantha Usher and Gary A. Crosby II of the DOJ’s Fraud Section, alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas D. Moses for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
This case is part of the DOJ’s broader Health Care Fraud Strike Force initiative, which has charged over 5,800 defendants and uncovered more than $30 billion in fraudulent claims since 2007.
