A community registered nurse who claimed to be providing health care services to Carl DeBrodie pleaded guilty to health care fraud Monday.
Melissa Denise DeLap, 49, of Columbia was charged with one count of health care fraud, according to a news release from the office of the U.S. Attorney, Western District of Missouri. DeLap was contracted to perform face-to-face evaluations of four Medicaid beneficiaries — one being DeBrodie, a 31-year-old man who was found encased in concrete inside a garbage can in 2017. DeBrodie had lived in an individualized supported living program at a residence owned by Second Chance Homes in Fulton since 2008, according to previous Missourian reporting.
DeBrodie died in September 2016. His disappearance wasn’t reported by employees at Second Chance Homes until April 17, 2017, according to the release.
From September 2016 — around the time DeBrodie died — to March 2017, DeLap filled out and signed DeBrodie’s monthly health summary reports in which she stated that she had performed face-to-face assessments of DeBrodie and provided other necessary services.
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