A Chesterfield Township dentist accused of Medicaid fraud was captured in the Dominican Republic last week after evading charges since last May, according to state authorities.
David Johnson, who operated Livernois Dental in Detroit, has been returned to the United States and will be arraigned in the coming weeks in Ingham County’s 54B District Court to face 27 felony charges. The charges include one count of racketeering, punishable by up to 20 years in prison; 20 counts of false Medicaid claims, punishable by up to 10 years in prison; and six counts of false health care claims, punishable by up to four years in prison.
Since the charges were issued, Johnson has been moving outside the country evading arrest until the U.S. Marshals Service apprehended him, a release from Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette’s office said.
‘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,’ Schuette said. ‘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, currently in custody in Miami, has waived extradition, Schuette added
The Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Division began investigating Johnson after receiving a tip he was billing the Medicaid program using the identifying information of another dentist. Johnson was prohibited from billing the Medicaid program due to Medicaid fraud convictions in 2006.
Johnson allegedly used the eligible dentist’s information to improperly bill $1.7 million over three years.
— Macomb Daily staff report
