Collinsville Woman Pleads Guilty To Drug And Health Care Offenses

Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on September 26, 2013, Julia Clymer, 48, of Collinsville, IL, pled guilty to a two-count information charging in count one that she engaged in a scheme to commit health care fraud and in count two that she had obtained controlled substances, including hydrocodone, through fraud and misrepresentation. At her sentencing Clymer will face up to 14 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000 and up to 3 years of supervised release. Sentencing has been set for January 31, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. in United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois.

During her plea hearing, Clymer admitted that she had obtained Hydrocodone by fraud by creating false and fraudulent prescriptions and then using those prescriptions at various pharmacies to obtain the controlled substances. Clymer also admitted that from September of 2012 through December of 2012, she had executed a scheme to commit healthcare fraud and obtain controlled substances by fraud when she caused Medicaid to be billed for the fraudulent prescriptions that she had used to obtain some of the controlled substances she diverted.

The investigation was conducted by the St. Louis Diversion Group of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Fairview Heights, Swansea and Belleville Illinois Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ranley R. Killian.