Oak Forest Autism Center Director Latrice Harrell Pleaded Guilty to Billing Blue Cross for Therapy That Never Happened

Case from 2019–2021 (U.S. Attorney's Office release: Sept. 5, 2019; later developments are from court records and other sources cited below). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Latrice Harrell, executive director of The Champion Center for Autism Inc. in Oak Forest, Illinois, pleaded guilty in April 2021 to a federal health care fraud charge and was sentenced that July to time served, one day, followed by two years of supervised release, according to the court docket [2]. She had been indicted in 2019 on charges of billing a private insurer for therapy that was never provided [1].

What prosecutors alleged

According to the 2019 indictment, as described by prosecutors [1]:

1. Phantom sessions: From November 2015 to May 2018, Harrell submitted claims to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois saying patients had been treated by the center's occupational therapist or behavioral analyst, when no such services were provided.
2. Borrowed identities: She allegedly used the therapist's and analyst's names and information without their knowledge to create the claim forms.
3. The take: The indictment said she obtained at least $1.6 million from the insurer.

The person charged

Latrice Harrell, of Olympia Fields, Ill. (46 when indicted)

• Indictment (Aug. 29, 2019): seven counts of health care fraud, two counts of making false statements in a health care matter and two counts of aggravated identity theft. She pleaded not guilty on Sept. 5, 2019 [1].
• Plea (April 5, 2021): pleaded guilty to Count One, a health care fraud count, according to the docket [2].
• Sentence (July 23, 2021): one day in custody, deemed served, plus two years of supervised release, imposed by U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall. The remaining counts, including the aggravated identity theft counts, were dismissed. Judgment was entered July 28, 2021. The docket entries we reviewed did not state a restitution amount.
• Investigation: FBI Chicago.

Red flags

• Explanation-of-benefits statements showing therapy sessions your child didn't attend.
• Claims listing a therapist who never treated your child.
• Providers reluctant to give you session notes or attendance records.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Compare every EOB from your insurer with your own calendar of therapy sessions.
2. If you're a clinician, ask your insurer periodically for claims billed under your name or NPI.
3. Report suspected billing fraud to your insurer's special investigations unit.

Case status (as of Oct. 16, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
Latrice Harrell, Olympia Fields, Ill.	N.D. Ill. (Judge Kendall)	Indicted Aug. 29, 2019; pleaded guilty April 5, 2021, to one count of health care fraud; sentenced July 23, 2021, to time served (1 day) and 2 years' supervised release; other counts dismissed	[1], [2]

We have not found a source on any proceedings after 2021.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Executive Director of Suburban Autism Center Charged with Fraudulently Billing for Nonexistent Services," Sept. 5, 2019. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/executive-director-suburban-autism-center-charged-fraudulently-billing-nonexistent
2. CourtListener, docket for United States v. Harrell (N.D. Ill.). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/16166621/united-states-v-harrell/

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