Dashawn Dawkins, a 34-year-old Lexington resident, was convicted by a federal grand jury in Lexington on Apr. 2 for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and conspiracy to receive kickbacks. The conviction followed a three-day trial.
Dawkins worked as a peer support specialist at Serenity Keeper’s, LLC, a sober home company based in Fayette County that claimed to provide mental health and substance abuse treatment services. Evidence presented at trial showed Dawkins received $62,750 in illegal kickbacks related to urine drug testing ordered at Serenity Keepers. These tests cost Kentucky Medicaid and Medicare nearly $2.57 million.
The fraudulent activity involved ordering more than 9,000 urine drug tests under the stolen identification number and forged signature of a nurse practitioner who had only briefly been associated with Serenity Keepers. The evidence also showed that these tests were not ordered or reviewed by treating medical providers as required.
Additionally, prosecutors said Serenity Keepers billed for peer support services that were either not provided or not supervised by licensed professionals as required by Medicaid regulations. The company billed for six hours of such services per day for every patient regardless of whether they occurred, resulting in over $9 million paid out by Medicaid for behavioral health claims that did not meet regulatory standards.
Dawkins is the fifth person convicted in connection with the investigation into Serenity Keepers’ activities. Other individuals who have pleaded guilty include Delores Jordan (the owner), Jerome Davis (her boyfriend), Lily Bell (who facilitated identity theft and paid kickbacks), and Ernest Williams (who managed several sober homes).
The conviction was announced jointly by Jason Parman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson from the FBI Louisville Field Office; and Russell Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General. The investigation was conducted by the FBI along with the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse.
Dawkins is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9. He faces up to ten years in prison along with any restitution determined by the court.
