HELENA — A Billings woman recently agreed to pay the state nearly $50,000 as part of a plea agreement resolving fraudulent Medicaid claims she filed for patients she never even saw and patients who stopped seeing her, Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today.

Melvera Parker, 69, a licensed counselor in Billings, pleaded guilty to felony Medicaid fraud and false claim to a public agency, following an investigation by the Montana Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). Parker admitted to billing Medicaid for patients that she had never seen and continued to submit claims for patients after they stopped using her as a counselor.

Parker was charged last year and previously pleaded not guilty to the crimes but pleaded guilty and reached an agreement with prosecutors in August. As part of the guilty plea, Parker is ordered to pay the state $47,706.41 and received a six-year deferred sentence. Additionally, she is excluded from billing any federal health insurance program for the length of the sentence.

MFCU Agent Joe Neussendorfer led the investigation, and Assistant Attorney General Alexandra van Belle prosecuted.

Montanans can report suspected cases of Medicaid fraud and patient abuse, neglect, or exploitation by calling the Medicaid Fraud hotline at 800-376-1115.

Stevens Amendment Compliance Statement

The Montana Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $939,984 for the federal fiscal year (FY) 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $313,325 for FY 2026, is funded by the State of Montana.