HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit uncovered nearly $2.4 million in fraudulent Medicaid claims in what Attorney General Austin Knudsen called the largest scheme the unit has found in its history.

On Sept. 15, a judge ordered Kevin Patrick Maxwell, a licensed clinical social worker and the former owner of Providence Mental Health Services in Bozeman, to pay the state $2,391,277.55 for defrauding Montana taxpayers, Knudsen announced.

Investigators found that from January 2022 to November 2024, interns and nonlicensed staff at Providence Mental Health Services who were not authorized to bill Medicaid provided mental health sessions that the business then billed to Medicaid.

The investigation also found the business was not a licensed mental health center during a portion of that period. A licensed mental health center is required for mental health professionals seeking licensure to bill Medicaid.

Maxwell closed Providence Mental Health Services in June 2025 and later moved to Texas.

The following was sent out by the Office of Attorney General Knudsen:

MFCU filed a civil complaint against him for violations of the Montana False Claims Act. MFCU Agent Gary Herbst investigated the case, and Assistant Attorney General Alexandra van Belle litigated.

MFCU is part of the Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation, which is overseen by Attorney General Knudsen and is responsible for investigating and prosecuting healthcare providers who...

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