The Montana Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit recently uncovered more than $1 million in fraudulent Medicaid claims and filed charges in two cases, Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced. The investigations were part of the National Health Care Fraud Takedown, a federal effort to combat fraud, waste and abuse in taxpayer-funded programs.
“I am pleased to see the Trump Administration working with us to identify and combat fraud,” Knudsen said. “At the Montana Department of Justice, we are committed to protecting hardworking Montanans’ money and making sure programs for those in need aren’t a payday for criminals. If you cheat the system, we will hold you accountable.”
Alison Watt, 55, of Billings, owner of Beautiful Directions Counseling, was charged with Medicaid fraud and false claim to a public agency for allegedly billing Medicaid for services she did not personally provide. According to the department, Watt submitted claims totaling $249,587.92, resulting in $134,042.28 in fraudulent reimbursements, by billing Medicaid for counseling services provided by interns who were not authorized to bill the program independently while representing herself as the provider.
Victoria Davenport, 60, of Great Falls, a licensed counselor and owner of Enlightening Minds, The GYST House and The GYST House 2, was charged with two counts of Medicaid fraud, two counts of false claim to a public agency and one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. The department said Davenport submitted claims totaling $2,300,729.65 and received $1,243,131.17 in fraudulent reimbursements by billing under her own name for counseling services provided by unlicensed staff. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Davenport was out of the country for 217 of the claims that listed her as the treating provider. After being notified of the investigation and receiving multiple records requests, Davenport allegedly submitted altered documentation to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
Assistant Attorney General Alexandra van Belle is prosecuting both cases, which are part of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, established to strengthen partnerships with state and local governments and protect taxpayer dollars in assistance programs such as Medicaid and SNAP.
In a separate, already-resolved case, Laural Suydam, 46, of Helena, was convicted of theft for receiving $3,790.87 in fraudulent Medicaid reimbursements. Suydam worked as a personal care attendant for A Plus Healthcare, providing in-home assistance to a Montana Medicaid recipient. In 2024, she submitted documentation claiming she had provided care to a patient who denied the visits occurred; electronic visit verification using GPS placed her at locations other than the patient’s residence, and one claim covered a date when the patient was incarcerated. A Plus Healthcare billed Medicaid and was reimbursed based on the falsified documentation, then issued Suydam a paycheck. Suydam received a three-year suspended sentence to the Montana Department of Corrections, was ordered to pay full restitution, and is barred from acting as a healthcare provider or personal care attendant for three years.
The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is part of the Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation and is responsible for investigating and prosecuting healthcare providers who defraud Montana’s Medicaid program or who abuse, neglect or exploit patients in Medicaid-funded care facilities. The unit receives 75% of its funding — $939,984 for federal fiscal year 2026 — from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with the remaining 25%, or $313,325, funded by the State of Montana.