Sandra J. Hairston United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of North Carolina
A doctor from Mt. Airy, North Carolina, Wendell Lewis Randall, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for health care fraud and money laundering. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Randall S. Galyon of the Middle District of North Carolina. In addition to his prison term, Randall must pay restitution amounting to $2,049,747.47.
Randall, aged 72, received this sentence from Senior United States District Judge Catherine C. Eagles in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. This new sentence will run consecutively to an 18-month sentence he is already serving following a conviction in the Western District of Virginia.
Court records indicate that Randall was the sole physician and owner of the National Institute of Toxicology (NIT) in Mt. Airy. At NIT, he frequently prescribed opioids or other controlled substances without ensuring medical necessity and mandated urine drug tests at each visit regardless of need. From August 2018 through December 2021, Randall billed Medicare and North Carolina Medicaid for these tests at high reimbursement rates, obtaining $753,446.70 from Medicare and $1,296,300.77 from Medicaid.
Acting U.S. Attorney Galyon commented on the case stating that "RANDALL abused his position as a medical provider to gain excessive profit from government-funded insurance programs." Kelly Blackmon from HHS-OIG emphasized that such actions undermine health care integrity and waste taxpayer dollars.
Jae W. Chung from DEA Atlanta Division highlighted their commitment to addressing fraud and money laundering schemes like this one. Donald “Trey” Eakins from IRS Criminal Investigation noted that forensic accounting skills were crucial in unraveling this complex scheme.
Attorney General Jeff Jackson remarked on how Randall's actions worsened the state's opioid crisis while stressing doctors' responsibilities towards quality health care provision.
The investigation involved several agencies including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Charlotte Tactical Diversion Squad and Greensboro Diversion Group; HHS Office of Inspector General; IRS; North Carolina Attorney General’s Office; Medicaid Investigations Division; and North Carolina Department of Insurance.
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Mayer along with Special Assistant United States Attorney Dan Spillman prosecuted the case.