Baltimore, Maryland - A federal jury convicted a laboratory owner for taking advantage of a federal government health insurance program in connection with a laboratory test billing scam during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The jury found Patrick Britton-Harr, 42, of Annapolis, Maryland, guilty of fraudulently billing Medicare more than $18 million for expensive respiratory tests that nursing home residents did not need, physicians did not order, and, in many cases, were never performed.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty verdict with Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald, Justice Department, National Fraud Enforcement Division; Special Agent in Charge Maureen R. Dixon, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office.

"Mr. Britton-Harr's decision to exploit elderly nursing-home residents and inexperienced interns for personal gain during a global pandemic is unconscionable. This verdict reinforces our message: there is nowhere to hide for those who commit fraud. We will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law," Hayes said. "The U.S. Attorney's Office, along with our law-enforcement partners, remains committed to rooting out fraud and holding accountable those who exploit our vulnerable victims and who steal our taxpayer money."

"This verdict sends a clear message: the FBI will aggressively pursue anyone who steals from American taxpayers," Paul said. "Patrick Britton-Harr will now face the consequences of his greed and brazen crimes. In addition to this healthcare fraud scheme, Britton-Harr was previously convicted for investment fraud in which the FBI uncovered a separate scheme where he defrauded private citizens. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will not rest until fraudsters like Mr. Britton Harr are brought to justice."

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in 2020, Britton-Harr, offered COVID-19 tests to nursing homes across the country when these facilities were desperate for COVID-19 testing services. After collecting specimens from nursing home residents and other laboratories performing COVID-19 testing, Britton-Harr billed Medicare for separate, high-priced respiratory pathogen panel (RPP) tests purportedly conducted in a laboratory he owned in Arizona.

Then Britton-Harr falsely claimed to Medicare that treating physicians ordered these extensive RPP tests, which screened for more than 30 respiratory pathogens. But physicians never ordered the tests for their nursing home patients, and several physicians testified at trial that they never ordered an RPP test for any patient during the entirety of their medical careers.

Through his company, Provista Health, Britton-Harr fraudulently billed Medicare $18.7 million for RPP testing purportedly performed in just six months, of which Medicare paid more than $7.2 million. Evidence at trial also demonstrated how Britton-Harr exploited inexperienced employees, including a family member, along with high-school and college-aged interns, by directing them to bill Medicare for an RPP test every time a COVID-19 test was performed.

Britton-Harr further directed the billing of RPP tests supposedly performed at his Arizona laboratory after he already closed the laboratory, barred staff from working in the laboratory, and no longer possessed the equipment necessary to run RPP tests. Additional evidence at trial proved that Britton-Harr billed Medicare for RPP tests that were never performed, including billing for tests for nursing-home residents who were already deceased.

He used the proceeds from his fraud scheme to fund a lavish lifestyle, purchasing, among other things, a $112,500 Porsche 911, and making $25,000 monthly mortgage payments on his Annapolis waterfront mansion.

The jury convicted Britton-Harr of five counts of healthcare fraud and one count of transactional money laundering. Britton-Harr faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count.

Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing date is forthcoming.

Additionally, in June 2026, a federal jury found Britton-Harr guilty of six counts of wire fraud in connection with a private-jet service scheme. Britton-Harr, who owned and operated a company that offered charter flights on private jets, defrauded customers by making false promises about how he planned to use their money.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the HHS-OIG and FBI for their collaborative efforts in this investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari D. Evans and Trial Attorney Chris Wenger, DOJ Fraud Division, Health Care Fraud Section. who are prosecuting the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Fraud Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department's work to combat fraud supports President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

The Department of Justice's Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.

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