Owner of Penn Hills care home pleads guilty to $2M health care fraud

The owner of a Penn Hills facility that serves people with intellectual disabilities pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to health care fraud and other crimes that led to $2 million in Medicaid overpayments.

Kelley Oliver-Hollis, 61, of Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood, acknowledged responsibility for the crimes alleged in 39 counts, including making false statements about health care matters, concealing material facts related to health care matters, money laundering and misusing Social Security benefits by a representative.

Oliver-Hollis owned Serenitycare LLC, a Medicaid provider that offered services, including in-home care, to several intellectually disabled adults, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti’s office.

Authorities allege Oliver-Hollis schemed to overbill Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program from 2018 to 2023.

Oliver-Hollis is accused of failing to adequately train direct-care workers in the proper care of residents, failing to keep adequate records and allowing the residents’ homes to fall into disrepair, resulting in multiple citations for unsanitary and unsafe living conditions for residents there, Rivetti said.

Records showed that during the years in question, Oliver-Hollis “failed to sufficiently staff the homes according to the requirements of the program” while submitting weekly claims for benefits that misrepresented the staffing, according to authorities.

Attorney Randall H. McKinney, who represents Oliver-Hollis, did not respond to a phone call or email Monday seeking comment. A person who answered the phone at Serenitycare declined comment and hung up.

Oliver-Hollis could face a maxium sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a fine up to $250,000 or both.

Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 10.

The FBI, IRS, federal departments of Health and Human Services and Labor, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office conducted the investigation.