Edward Buford III, a Silver Spring dentist, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Friday in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain Medicaid funds by recruiting Medicaid beneficiaries through a payment of kickback and bribes.
Buford, 70, also was sentenced to three years of supervision following his release on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and healthcare fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland’s office. He was ordered to pay $1,267,630 in restitution.
Bufford was a licensed dentist in Washington, D.C. and owned and was CEO of International Dental Associates in D.C.
According to his guilty plea, Buford led this scheme from January 2013 to May 2018. He caused Medicaid claims to be submitted for a variety of dental services, including dentures. He paid kickbacks to patient recruiters in exchange for their referring beneficiaries to come to his office and have dental services.
According to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland’s office, Buford paid $50 to recruiters and $20 to the recruiter who agreed to be fitted for dentures.
The patient only came for an initial visit, and then Buford billed Medicaid for the ensuing work, which he did not perform. Buford stored hundreds of undelivered dentures in his office, many of which were paid for by Medicaid, according to the Department of Justice.
— US Attorney Maryland (@USAO_MD) November 18, 2022
