FBI Raid Targets Hospice Offices In North Texas And Beyond
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CARROLLTON (CBS11) - An FBI raid across the state has focused on at least three North Texas hospice offices.
An FBI agent posted outside the door to the Carrollton offices of Heart To Heart Hospice said the business was closed.
Neither the FBI nor a spokesperson for the company has given us a statement about what's happening, but we know this is all part of a much broader investigation.
Throughout the day FBI agents have been going in and out of the company's offices. Similar activity has been unfolding at offices from Plano to Fort Worth to Houston.
Spokespeople for both Plano and Carrollton police confirm they did assist the FBI with investigations in their cities, but they referred us to the FBI for any details on the nature of the work.
The company describes itself on its website as providing quality care and supportive services for people with life-limiting illnesses. An employee at the Carrollton location declined to comment, and messages left with the company headquarters have not been answered.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department in Washington DC would only confirm that there is law enforcement activity in the area, but he tells me the details of the investigation are under seal.
Becky Wickersham works nearby. She says she didn't know what to think when she saw all the activity.
"I was looking through the blinds, and I see all these FBI people. Several of them had on bulletproof vests. They were carrying guns," Wickersham said.
She and other workers nearby said eventually many of the agents removed their bulletproof vests but continued to investigate the offices.
"Some of them still had jackets on. I saw some that said FBI, and then I saw some that said, 'HHS OIG.' And I'm sitting here trying to figure out what that was. Health and Human Services is the only thing I could think of for the HHS," Wickersham said.
The Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General did not return our calls, but we know that agency often investigates Medicare and Medicaid fraud.
The Justice Department spokesperson would only say that the nature of the investigation is under seal.
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