U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV | U.S. Department of Justice
Four individuals have been indicted on charges related to healthcare fraud involving a sober home company in Kentucky. Delores Jordan, 56, of Charlotte, NC; Dashawn Dawkins, 33, of Lexington, Ky.; Jerome Davis, 51, of Indianapolis, Ind.; and Ernest Williams, 51, of Lexington, Ky., face accusations of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and receiving kickbacks.
The indictment claims that Serenity Keepers LLC used urine drug tests for non-medical purposes and solicited kickbacks for referring these tests to laboratories. From August 2019 onward, Jordan allegedly arranged for payments through checks and wire transfers to her son Dawkins. By October 2021, she purportedly demanded an increase in kickback amounts due to a higher volume of tests referred.
Further allegations state that the urine drug tests were not medically necessary or ordered by treating providers but were billed to Medicare and Kentucky Medicaid regardless. This reportedly led to fraudulent claims amounting to $26.7 million from August 2019 to March 2022.
Additionally, it is alleged that Serenity Keepers falsely billed Kentucky Medicaid for peer support services between August 2019 and February 2022. The indictment states that many billed services were either not provided or did not meet state regulations.
The charges were announced by Carlton S. Shier IV from the Eastern District of Kentucky's U.S. Attorney’s Office; Michael Stansbury from the FBI's Louisville Field Office; and Russell Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse.
Initial court appearances have taken place for Dawkins, Davis, and Williams while Jordan is scheduled for December 4. Potential penalties include up to ten years in prison for Jordan, Dawkins, and Williams; five years for Davis; along with fines up to $250,000 plus restitution as determined by the court.
The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
