SAN ANTONIO – A man accused of severely neglecting his 74-year-old mother before she died is now charged with bilking Medicaid out of more than $60,000 as he cashed healthcare provider checks, authorities said.
Juan Huerta, 52, was charged with Medicaid fraud between $30,000 and $150,000, two years after his mother, Maria, was found dead in their Elmendorf home, records with the Bexar County Jail show.
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He is accused of falsifying his work hours when was a personal care attendant, or PCA, for his mother under the Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership program.
The Texas Office of the Attorney General said for more than three years, Juan Huerta was employed as Maria Huerta’s PCA but failed to provide her with medical care for injuries that led to her death.
On Sept. 4, 2021, officers found Maria Huerta dead in an emaciated state, Sheriff Javier Salazar previously said. She had bedsores and open wounds and was malnourished.
Salazar said Juan Huerta did not seek healthcare for his mother, despite knowing the severity of her injuries.
Juan Huerta was initially arrested for injury to the elderly with bodily injury by omission — a charge he was later found incompetent to stand trial for, records show.
Documents show he was recently arrested in connection with the fraud investigation.
Suspect cashed checks as he worked as a trucker
The Texas Office of the Attorney General opened a fraud investigation on Sept. 7, 2021.
Investigators said Huerta was a PCA between April 2018 and October 2021 and was employed by Primavera Primary Home Care, Inc. (PPHC) and Girling Community Care (GCC).
An arrest warrant affidavit states that through the program, Medicaid clients coordinate with the home health agency, in this case, PPHC and GCC, for relatives to provide assistance with daily activities, like grooming and bathing.
Authorities said Juan Huerta clocked in at PPHC and/or GCC using electronic visit verification (EVV) tokens to claim services that he did not provide to his mother.
Meanwhile, he was employed by multiple trucking firms and falsified work hours while he was on the road, the affidavit states.
Huerta told a detective that he had his wife take a picture of the numbers on the EVV token device so he could clock in, though he was not at the residence, the affidavit states.
An investigation revealed about 2,304 conflicting hours, resulting in an overpayment of Medicaid funds in the amount of $63,557.35.
“The information suspect provided PPHC and GCC was fraudulent and that the services were never provided,” the affidavit states. “She experienced an extraordinary level of neglect, and did not receive the personal care services that were allegedly provided.”
A warrant for his arrest on the fraud charge was issued on Friday.
Juan Huerta said he was in ‘financial hard times’
When he was first arrested, Juan Huerta told BCSO that he fed and helped bathe his mother at first, but stopped taking her to the shower because “he was out of energy,” a separate arrest warrant affidavit states.
When investigators asked why he didn’t have enough “energy” to take her to the shower at least once during that time frame, he replied that he “did the best he could,” the affidavit states.
He added that he stopped taking her to the doctor’s office due to COVID-19.
“Juan could not explain why he did not call EMS or police when his mother started to become very ill and had wounds beyond his ability to treat or care for,” the affidavit states. “Juan would excuse his actions by continually saying, he did the best he could with the training and experience given to him by a group of registered nurses he would visit.”
Juan Huerta told investigators that he worked full-time as a trucker but continued to log hours for the healthcare company because he was in ”financial hard times.”
Affidavit revealed disturbing details about mother’s death
Warning: The following paragraphs contain graphic content.
Maria Huerta was found dead due to injuries including malnutrition, bed sores and necrosis in her extremities. She also had maggots in her exposed wounds, an affidavit states.
Authorities said a healthcare representative first reported concerns about the woman’s health in February of 2020.
She had smelled of a urinary tract infection at the time, the representative reported, and she had bedsores and discolored feet.
Deputies said Juan Huerta refused to allow an ambulance to take his mother at the time, telling paramedics to “leave his mother alone.”
He reassured them she was in good care.
When police and paramedics found the woman dead, she had several skin ulcers that nearly exposed the bone underneath. Her bed was soiled with bodily fluids.
Juan Huerta told deputies he knew for months that his mother had maggots in her wounds. “God put them there,” he said.
The affidavit states he knew about her large wounds between six to 12 months before her death.
Following his arrest, Juan Huerta told media members that his mother died from “being old.”
“My mother passed away of being old. The Lord took her on Saturday at 10:30 if you all really want to know,” he said during a perp walk.
In a hearing held in May, Juan Huerta was found incompetent to stand trial in the injury to the elderly charge. At some point, he could be found competent and then the trial process can begin again.