Doctor arrested on 27 felony charges, including medicaid fraud
LANSING — In May of this year, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette filed 27 separate felony charges against dentist Dr. David Johnson, of Chesterfield Township, in relation to an alleged Medicaid Fraud scheme. The alleged scheme was operated through Livernois Dental in Detroit which Johnson owned and operated, but has since sold. Since the charges were issued, Johnson has been moving outside the country evading arrest until the U.S. Marshals Service caught up with him last week in the Dominican Republic.
“Medical professionals are expected to conduct themselves with integrity and adherence to the law. A deliberate attempt to take advantage of the Medicaid system shows no regard for the law and violators will face the consequences of their actions,” said Schuette. “I would like to thank the U.S. Marshals Service for their hard work and dedication to apprehending the alleged offender so that he may face these accusations in a court of law.”
Johnson, 51, was charged with the following:
-One count of Racketeering, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison;
-Twenty counts of Medicaid Fraud – False Claims (Fourth Offense), a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison; and
-Six counts of Health Care Fraud – False Claims, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison.
Johnson has been returned to the United States and is currently in custody in Miami, Florida. He has waived extradition and will be transported back to Michigan in the coming weeks to be arraigned in the 54B District Court in Ingham County.
Case Background
Schuette’s Health Care Fraud Division began an investigation into Johnson after receiving an allegation that he was billing the Medicaid program using the identifying information of another dentist. Johnson was placed on the Medicaid exclusion list following earlier Medicaid fraud convictions in 2006. The Medicaid exclusion list is a list of health care providers prohibited from billing the Medicaid program.
Johnson allegedly used an eligible doctor’s information to improperly bill $1.7 million over the course of three years. A criminal charge is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.