North Carolina woman pleads guilty to stealing more than $140,000 in benefits from army health insurance plan

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that a North Carolina woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring with her ex-husband to illegally obtain health care benefits from the Department of Defense Health Program, Tricare. 

Amanda Elise Morphis, 26, of Sanford, North Carolina, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. According to the guilty plea, Morphis divorced U.S. Army Sergeant Nathan Chance Louvier, 30, of Deridder, Louisiana, on December 6, 2011.  For more than two years after their divorce, Morphis and Louvier falsely represented to the Defense Department, the Army and Tricare that they were married so that Morphis could receive health care benefits from Tricare after her entitlement to benefits had ended.  Between December 7, 2011 and February 2014, Tricare paid $143,387.56, in fraudulent claims for Morphis’ health care benefits.

United States Army regulations and federal statutes require military service members to update the Defense Enrollment Eligibility System within 30 days of events such as a death or divorce that change the status a service member’s dependents.

Louvier pleaded guilty to conspiracy on October 3, 2018. The defendants face a maximum of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and mandatory restitution to repay Tricare $143,387.56 for paid fraudulent claims. The court set Louvier’s sentencing for January 9, 2019 and Morphis’ sentencing for February 13, 2019.

The Fort Polk - Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph T. Mickel is prosecuting the case.