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New York Nurse Practitioner and Pediatric Clinic Plead Guilty in COVID-19 Card Forgery and Oxycodone Prescription Scandal

Fraud, Bribery & CorruptionNew York Nurse Practitioner and Pediatric Clinic Plead Guilty in COVID-19 Card Forgery and Oxycodone Prescription Scandal

Julie DeVuono, a 51-year-old resident of Amityville, and her company, Kids-On-Call Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, P.C., doing business as Wild Child Pediatric Healthcare, have pleaded guilty to various charges. DeVuono admitted to forging COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards and engaging in money laundering, while also illegally obtaining prescriptions for Oxycodone in the name of relatives.

DeVuono’s actions included selling forged COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards, falsely stating that individuals had received vaccinations, and entering fake information into the New York State Immunization Information System. In 2021, customers were charged $220 for these fraudulent entries, and in 2022, the fee increased to $350. DeVuono then laundered the proceeds by transferring funds through multiple accounts and making various transactions, including paying off her mortgage.

A separate investigation revealed that DeVuono had submitted false prescriptions for Oxycodone to local pharmacies in Suffolk County between February 10, 2019, and August 14, 2021. These prescriptions contained false identities, some of which belonged to her relatives. Despite knowing that these electronic prescriptions would be reported to the New York State Department of Health, DeVuono obtained the controlled substances for herself.

In court on September 15, 2023, DeVuono and her corporation pleaded guilty to several charges. DeVuono admitted to Money Laundering in the Second Degree, Forgery in the Second Degree, and Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree. Kids-On-Call Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, P.C. pleaded guilty to Money Laundering in the Second Degree and Forgery in the Second Degree.

As a result of these guilty pleas, DeVuono and her corporation have agreed to forfeit criminal proceeds totaling $1,252,540.63, including seized currency, bank account funds, and equity paid off on her Amityville home. DeVuono has also surrendered her professional licenses as a Nurse Practitioner and Registered Professional Nurse to the New York State Department of Education. She has also dissolved her professional service corporation, which included shutting down her pediatric office, Wild Child Pediatric Healthcare. DeVuono is prohibited from practicing in the medical field in New York.

DeVuono is scheduled for sentencing on November 17, 2023. She will face six months of incarceration with conditions related to alcohol and narcotics, 840 hours of community service during her five-year probationary supervision term, and a total of $15,000 in fines. Kids-On-Call Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, P.C. will receive a three-year conditional discharge.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys James Bartens and Adriana Noyola, with investigative assistance from the Suffolk County Police Department’s District Attorney Squad, the New York State Department of Health, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Civil asset forfeiture proceedings were handled by Assistant District Attorney Joseph McCarthy Jr.

 

By FCCT Editorial Team

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are independent views solely of the author(s) expressed in their private capacity.

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