Lexington Man Convicted of Conspiracies to Commit Healthcare Fraud and Violate the Anti-Kickback Statute at Sober Homes

LEXINGTON, Ky.- A Lexington man, Dashawn Dawkins, 34, was convicted on Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Lexington for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and conspiracy to receive kickbacks. Dawkins was convicted of the charges following a 3-day trial.

Dawkins was a peer support specialist at Serenity Keeper's, LLC ("Serenity Keepers"), a sober home company based in Fayette County, Ky., that purported to provide mental health and substance abuse treatment services and housing for individuals enrolled in its program. The evidence at trial showed that Mr. Dawkins received $62,750 in illegal kickbacks for the ordering of urine drug testing at Serenity Keepers that cost Kentucky Medicaid and Medicare a combined $2,569,946. The evidence further showed that the urine drug testing was fraudulent in that it was not ordered by a treating medical provider, nor were the results reviewed by a treating medical provider. Instead, more than 9,000 urine drug tests were ordered under the stolen identification number and forged signature of a Nurse Practitioner who was briefly associated with Serenity Keepers.

The evidence also showed that Serenity Keepers billed for fraudulent peer support services that were not provided at all and were not supervised by licensed professionals, as required by Medicaid regulations. The company billed for 6 hours of peer support services a day for every patient in their care regardless of whether that was provided, including services purportedly provided by Dawkins. Medicaid paid Serenity Keepers $9,077,260 for behavior health claims that were not provided in accordance with Medicaid regulations, or were not provided at all.

Dawkins was the fifth defendant convicted as part of the investigation into Serenity Keepers' scheme. Delores Jordan, the owner of Serenity Keepers, and Jerome Davis, her boyfriend, both pled guilty to their role in the kickback conspiracy. Lily Bell, who paid the kickbacks to Dawkins, Jordan, and Davis, and who facilitated the abuse of the Nurse Practitioner's stolen identifiers, pled guilty to aggravated identity theft. Ernest Williams, who ran several of the sober homes for Serenity Keepers, pled guilty to a health care fraud conspiracy involving fraudulent urine drug testing and fraudulent peer support services.

Jason Parman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Russell Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General, jointly announced the conviction.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Kentucky Attorney General, Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse. The U.S. Attorney's Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate K. Smith.

Dawkins will appear for sentencing on July 9. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and any restitution determined by the Court. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing a sentence.

- END -