Officials make multiple raids across Texas hospice facilities

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- An unsettling scene unfolded at an otherwise quiet Woodlands area office building Tuesday morning. Around 9:30am, dozens of agents from the FBI, the Texas Attorney General, and the Office of Inspector General descended on Heart to Heart Hospice's north Houston offices. They spent hours removing boxes of documents, searching through computers, and going through paperwork.

In the meantime, bewildered employees walked in and out of the building without saying much.

"Well, obviously there is an investigation of something, but I have no idea what it's about," said one woman wearing a Heart to Heart ID badge and shirt with a similar logo.

The Department of Justice would only confirm there is law enforcement activity focused on the company, but says all other information is under seal.

Eyewitness News has confirmed that similar raids took place in several other Heart to Heart Hospice locations, including Fort Worth, Carollton and the company's Plano headquarters.

A number of agents also spent hours in the company's south Houston location.

On its website, Heart to Heart boasts 17 locations in Texas, and presence in Indiana and Michigan.

People who work near in the nearby offices said the company mostly sends hospice nurses to patients' homes to provide care.

It's unclear just how widespread the investigation may be. Offices in Michigan contacted by Eyewitness News appear to be operating under normal circumstances.

The Texas Department on Aging confirms in all the Texas Heart to Heart facilities are licensed. According to records, there have been some state violations over the past five years. However, they appear unrelated to today's federal raids.