Owner and Manager of Louisiana Counseling Agency Sentenced on Healthcare and Wire Fraud Charges

Louisiana – Marty T. Johnson, 59, of Shreveport, Louisiana, and Keesha Dinkins, 45, of Bossier City, Louisiana, were both sentenced on April 19, 2022, by United States District Judge Donald E. Walter in connection with a healthcare fraud and wire fraud scheme in which they were both involved, according to United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown.

Johnson received a 60-month prison sentence, followed by a year of supervised release. Dinkins received a 24-month prison sentence, followed by a year of supervised release. Johnson and Dinkins were also ordered to pay a total of $3,500,000 in restitution.

Johnson and Dinkins both entered guilty pleas in the case on October 26, 2021. Johnson pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud in a Bill of Information. Dinkins pleaded guilty to a misprision of a felony charge of healthcare fraud in a Bill of Information. Johnson and Dinkins both admitted to stealing $3.5 million from the Medicaid program.

Johnson owned and operated Positive Change Counseling Agency (Positive Change) in Shreveport, Louisiana, from January 2013 to January 2018, according to information presented to the court. Keesha Dinkins worked at Positive Change as a manager and supervisor. Positive Change offered mental health rehabilitation and other services to Medicaid recipients in Caddo and Bossier parishes. Johnson submitted and caused fraudulent claims for mental health rehabilitation and non-emergency transportation services on behalf of Positive Change from 2014 to January 2018. Dinkins was aware that Johnson had submitted these fraudulent claims, which both she and Johnson were aware were not performed or rendered.

Positive Change received Medicaid payments to which it was not entitled as a result of these fraudulent claims.

Johnson admitted to paying people money to sign up for Positive Change, which increased Positive Change’s ability to bill Medicaid for services that were never provided. Johnson instructed and Dinkins supervised Positive Change employees to create false client files in order to conceal from Medicaid and insurance company auditors and inspectors that the company had not performed the services related to previously submitted claims that had already been reimbursed by Medicaid. Sections from various client documents were physically cut to create inserts, which were then glued into blank client log templates to create these false client files. These templates, along with the glued inserts, were then photocopied to give the appearance of genuine documents. Johnson and Dinkins oversaw and instructed the employees who were creating these false client files to place the false and fictitious photocopied, cut and pasted documents into the client files. Johnson and Dinkins were aware that these fictitious client files were being used to conceal from Medicaid officials the fact that Positive Change did not provide the services described in the claims submitted to and paid by Medicaid.

Furthermore, Johnson knowingly caused Positive Change to submit fraudulent claims for mental health rehabilitation and non-emergency transportation using Medicaid recipients’ names and identification information without their knowledge or consent.

The case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Louisiana State Attorney General’s Office-Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Earl M. Campbell.

If you have any information about this or any other type of Medicaid fraud, please contact the United States Department of Health and Human Services–Office of Inspector General at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) or the Louisiana Medicaid Fraud Hotline at 1-800-488-2917.