CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A federal jury has convicted a Charlotte man for his efforts to defraud North Carolina's Medicaid program out of millions of dollars over the course of three years.
57-year-old Donald Booker was found guilty of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, violating the Anti-Kickback Statute, money laundering conspiracy, and money laundering. A co-conspirator - 54-year-old Delores Jordan of Louisville, Ky. - pleaded guilty to her role in the scheme and was convicted of healthcare fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
Federal prosecutors say Booker and Jordan, along with other co-conspirators, defrauded the state's Medicaid program out of $11 million from 2016 through 2019. Booker owned a urine toxicology testing laboratory along with a company that provided mental health and substance abuse treatment services to youth, while Jordan owned a housing provider.
Over the course of three years, prosecutors said Booker defrauded North Carolina Medicaid by paying illegal kickbacks to Jordan in exchange for urine samples from Medicaid-eligible beneficiaries. Jordan had previously admitted she and others recruited housing-vulnerable individuals and other beneficiaries for housing programs and other services, requiring them to submit unnecessary urine samples for testing.
Booker then paid Jordan and the other recruiters a kickback from his youth services company's Medicaid reimbursement on the drug testing. Booker and Jordan also worked to launder the proceeds of the kickback and health care fraud conspiracy to try and hide the nature and source of the illegal kickback payments for drug testing referrals.
Sentencing dates have not been set as of publication.
Note: WCNC instituted a new policy in March 2021 regarding the broadcast or posting of mugshots.
WCNC will only air or post a mugshot if the person has been formally charged with a crime and in a few other cases. The exceptions include: If it appears the person could be a danger to themselves or others or if they are wanted by authorities; to differentiate between people with a common name; if the photos could encourage more victims to come forward. The news-editorial leadership may also decide to use a mugshot based on the severity of the crime(s) committed and/or the level of public interest in the crime and ensuing criminal proceedings.
