A former Warren dentist received a suspended prison sentence Tuesday for Medicaid fraud after making arrangements to pay about $136,032 in damages, restitution and fines within a week.
John Steven Durmon, 60, had been charged with four counts of fraud over allegations that he had fraudulently billed Medicaid 3,194 times over a 15-month period between September 2015 and December 2017 for a total of $186,461.
On Tuesday, Assistant Attorney General Sean Strode, who prosecuted the case on behalf of Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, dropped three lesser counts as Durmon pleaded guilty to the Class A felony charge in exchange for a five-year suspended sentence.
“Durmon’s plea, based on his appalling and unrestrained criminal conduct, underscores our decision to charge him for Medicaid fraud,” said Rutledge, who is in charge of Medicaid fraud prosecutions. “We must stop this type of corruption with taxpayer dollars.”
Source: Ex-dentist to pay $136,032 in fraud case / Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette