Local Dentist, 2 Others Charged With Plot To Defraud Medicaid
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A dentist, his business partner and another man have been indicted in Maryland on charges they plotted to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars in Medicaid payments, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
The indictment, handed up July 13 and unsealed on Wednesday, says Medicaid paid more than $8 million in claims collectively submitted between January 2013 to May 2018 by licensed dentist Edward T. Buford III, 68, of Silver Spring, Maryland; business partner Kasandra Vilchez-Duarte, 44, of Fort Washington, Maryland; and Donnie Amis, 63, of Washington, D.C.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Sullivan agreed to release the defendants after their initial court appearances on Wednesday on charges of conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and conspiracy to commit health care fraud and mail fraud, U.S. Attorney Robert Hur's office said in a news release.
Buford was owner and chief executive officer of International Dental Associates Inc. Vilchez-Duarte managed the company, which billed Medicaid for dental services. The indictment accuses Buford and Vilchez-Duarte of paying kickbacks to Amis and others to refer Medicaid beneficiaries to their company.
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