Three Medicaid fraud cases across Billings, Great Falls and Helena, AG announces

Knudsen pointed to the broader goal of the effort.

“I am pleased to see the Trump Administration working with us to identify and combat fraud,” Knudsen said. “At the Montana Department of Justice, we are committed to protecting hardworking Montanans’ money and making sure programs for those in need aren’t a payday for criminals. If you cheat the system, we will hold you accountable.”

The department charged Alison Watt, 55, of Billings, owner of Beautiful Directions Counseling, with Medicaid fraud and making a false claim to a public agency. Investigators said she submitted $249,587.92 in claims and received $134,042.28 in Medicaid reimbursements for services she did not personally provide. 

The department also charged Victoria Davenport, 60, of Great Falls, owner of Enlightening Minds, The GYST House and The GYST House 2, with two counts of Medicaid fraud, two counts of making a false claim to a public agency and one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

According to the department, Davenport submitted $2,300,729.65 in claims and received $1,243,131.17 in reimbursements by billing under her own name for counseling services provided by unlicensed staff. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed she was out of the country for 217 claims that listed her as the treating provider.

The department said Davenport later sent altered records to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit after she was notified about an official investigation and after multiple requests for records. 

In a separate case, Laural Suydam, 46, of Helena, was convicted of theft after receiving $3,790.87 in fraudulent Medicaid reimbursements. The department said she worked as a personal care attendant for A Plus Healthcare and submitted records in 2024 claiming she cared for a Medicaid patient who denied the visits.

Investigators said electronic visit verification using GPS placed Suydam somewhere other than the patient’s home, and one claim said she provided care on a date when the patient was incarcerated.

Suydam received a three-year suspended sentence with the Montana Department of Corrections. She was also ordered to pay full restitution and could not work as a healthcare provider or personal care attendant for three years.