Former Anheuser-Busch Employee Found Guilty of 26 Felonies Connected to Disability Fraud
May 17, 2023
From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri:
ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Tuesday found a woman from Jefferson County, Missouri guilty on all 26 felony charges she faced for defrauding the Social Security Administration and private disability insurers with false disability claims.
Elizabeth Guetersloh, 67, was found guilty of two counts of mail fraud, 16 counts of wire fraud and eight counts of theft of government funds. The trial began May 8.
Guetersloh is one of a series of former Anheuser-Busch employees who went to a Jefferson County chiropractor as part of a scheme to falsely claim disability payments.
Guetersloh claimed she was severely restricted in her physical and mental functioning, and eventually received a total of $331,557 in disability payments. All the while, according to court exhibits and testimony, she danced, hiked through waterfalls, rode roller coasters, went to wineries, drove long distances and traveled domestically as well as internationally.
The chiropractor, Thomas G. Hobbs, 65, pleaded guilty in January to a conspiracy charge and admitted conspiring to commit the crimes of health care fraud, making false statements, theft of government funds and Social Security fraud.
Hobbs admitted exaggerating patients’ medical conditions so they would fraudulently receive more than $3.5 million in disability payments from the Social Security Administration and private disability benefit insurers.
Hobbs co-owns Power-Med Inc., a chiropractic clinic in Arnold, Missouri. Hobbs charged patients between $2,000 and $8,600 to prepare disability forms and coached them to lie about their ability to perform basic activities such as lifting, standing, walking, sitting, remembering and taking care of their personal needs.
Guetersloh advised a family member that she paid $6,000 for Dr. Hobbs’ disability services.
“Elizabeth Guetersloh lied about her physical condition to steal over $300,000 which she enjoyed on cruises, picturesque hikes, and other travel,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis office. “In concert with our law enforcement partners, we remain committed to ensuring these necessary safety-net programs are available to help those truly in need.”
Hobbs’ former wife and Power-Med co-owner, Vivian Carbone-Hobbs, 60, of Fenton, as well as one current and one former employee, Christina Barrera, 63, of St. Louis, and Clarissa Pogue, 39, of DeSoto, were convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the Social Security Administration by a different jury in February. Carbone-Hobbs was also convicted of 10 counts of health care fraud and two counts of theft of money from the United States. Pogue was convicted of one count of theft of money from the United States.
The cases were investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracy Berry, Diane Klocke and Dorothy McMurtry are prosecuting the case.
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