NEW ORLEANS, LA — A federal jury has convicted Scharmaine Lawson Baker, 58, of Richmond, Texas, for her role in a $12.1 million Medicare fraud scheme, in which she ordered medically unnecessary cancer genetic tests for patients she never met or examined.
Between 2018 and 2019, Lawson Baker—an enrolled Medicare provider and self-proclaimed expert in Medicare regulations—worked with a telehealth company where she signed hundreds of test orders after phone calls lasting less than a minute. These orders were for genetic cancer screenings that were not medically necessary, and in some cases based on false diagnoses, including claiming male patients had cervical cancer.
Lawson Baker never reviewed the test results, even when they indicated a patient carried a cancer-related gene variant. The court found she signed off on these tests in exchange for kickbacks and bribes, which she later failed to disclose during her bankruptcy filing.
“She shamelessly exploited her license and patients’ trust to enrich herself through a multimillion-dollar fraud,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti. Prosecutors said the scam involved misleading patients into thinking they were receiving free cancer screenings, while billing Medicare for fraudulent claims totaling over $12.1 million. Laboratories involved in the scheme were reimbursed over $1.5 million.
During the trial, the jury heard evidence that Lawson Baker’s conduct was not a mistake but part of a calculated scheme. She diagnosed conditions that didn’t exist to justify the tests, failed to perform any physical exams, and colluded with the telehealth company to maximize fraudulent claims.
She was convicted on six counts of health care fraud, each carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for November 19, 2025.
The FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) led the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Samantha Usher and Gary A. Crosby II of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas D. Moses.
This case is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing crackdown on health care fraud, especially schemes involving genetic testing and telemedicine fraud.
