A federal judge has sentenced Amarillo, Tex-based orthodontist Michael David Goodwin, DDS, to 50 months in prison and ordered him to pay $1.8 million in restitution after defrauding the Texas Medicaid Program, according to a report from the Amarillo Globe-News. Goodwin plead guilty to one count of health care fraud in December.
US District Judge Mary Lou Robinson also ordered Goodwin to serve 3 years of supervised release, in part to ensure he paid restitution. The judge also barred Goodwin from participating as a dentist in the Medicaid program when he is released from prison.
Federal court documents show that Goodwin billed the Texas Medicaid Program for more than $2.6 million in services he claimed he provided, despite the fact that he knew some of the services were “not medically necessary.” In addition, he billed for services done by dental assistants without his supervision.
Approximately 95% of Goodwin’s patients were Medicaid recipients.
