WASHINGTON – Bilal Ahmed, 47, of Potomac, Maryland, was sentenced to 71 months’ incarceration on February 10, 2020, having pled guilty to a federal charge of health care fraud stemming from a scheme in which he and others caused the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program to be defrauded out of more than $5 million. The Honorable Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly granted the parties’ joint request for a sentence that runs concurrently with a 16-year sentence that Ahmed currently is serving for sexually assaulting patients. The Court also ordered Ahmed to pay $5,421,227 in restitution and $3,978,879.93 in forfeiture. 

            The announcement was made Monday, February 10, 2020 by U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Washington Field Office, Criminal Division, Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, for the region that includes Washington, D.C., and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            Ahmed was indicted in January 2019, along with his former office manager, on one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, one count of health care fraud, and five counts of wire fraud.  Ahmed pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to Count II of the Indictment and the remaining charges were dismissed at sentencing.  

           According to the statement of offense submitted to the Court at the time of the plea hearing, Ahmed was a practicing dentist who owned and operated Universal Smiles, a dental practice, in Northwest, Washington, D.C.  When Ahmed’s dental license was suspended by the D.C. Dentistry Board, and subsequently was surrendered by him, Ahmed opened and operated Dental Equipment and Services (“DES”).  DES was a Maryland company that employed dentists on contract to work at Universal Smiles’ former business location in the District of Columbia.  According to court paperwork, through Universal Smiles and DES, Ahmed and his office manager engaged in a scheme to enrich themselves by defrauding D.C. Medicaid, a health care benefits program jointly funded by the federal government and the District of Columbia to provide health care services to residents who meet the income qualifying requirements.  As part of the scheme, Ahmed applied to be a Medicaid provider.   According to Ahmed’s admissions, once approved to bill Medicaid, he and the office manager sought to increase the dental practice’s profits by recruiting Medicaid recipients as patients and then then billing D.C. Medicaid for thousands of provisional crowns that were not provided to the patients.  From August 9, 2012, through February 26, 2014, D.C. Medicaid paid Universal Smiles approximately $12.4 million; and it paid DES approximately $1.2 million from November 17, 2014, though February 1, 2016.  According to court paperwork, more than one-third of the money paid out by D.C. Medicaid was for services that Ahmed’s dental offices did not provide. 

            The indictment remains pending with respect to Ahmed’s former office manager, who has pled not guilty and whose case is set for trial on June 1, 2020. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Shea, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, and Special Agent in Charge Dixon commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the District of Columbia’s Office of the Inspector General. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Paralegal Specialists Aisha Keys, Brittany Phillips, Lauren Hernandez and Amanda Rohde, Forensic Financial Analyst Bryan Snitselaar, and the D.C. OIG Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Miller, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise A. Simmonds, Michelle Bradford and Lionel Andre, who prosecuted the case.

           WASHINGTON – Bilal Ahmed, 47, of Potomac, Maryland, pled guilty on September 6, 2019, to a federal charge of health care fraud stemming from a scheme in which he and others caused the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program to be defrauded out of more than $5 million.

           The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Timothy Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, for the region that includes Washington, D.C., and Daniel W. Lucas, District of Columbia Inspector General.

           Ahmed was indicted in January 2019, along with his former office manager, on one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, one count of health care fraud, and five counts of wire fraud.  Ahmed pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to Count II of the Indictment and the remaining charges will be dismissed at sentencing.  The charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties.  Under federal sentencing guidelines, Ahmed faces a likely range of 57 to 71 months in prison and a fine of up to $200,000.  The plea agreement calls for Ahmed to pay $5,421,227 in restitution and $3,978,879.93 in a forfeiture money judgment.  While the government has agreed to join in Ahmed’s request for a sentence that runs concurrently with the 16-year sentence that he currently is serving for sexually assaulting patients, that request is not binding on the Court.  The Honorable Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly scheduled sentencing for January 17, 2020.

           According to the statement of offense submitted to the Court, Ahmed was a practicing dentist who owned and operated Universal Smiles, a dental practice, in Northwest, Washington, D.C.  When Ahmed’s dental license was suspended by the D.C. Dentistry Board, and subsequently was surrendered by him, Ahmed opened and operated Dental Equipment and Services (“DES”).  DES was a Maryland company that employed dentists on contract to work at Universal Smiles’ former business location in the District of Columbia.  Through Universal Smiles and DES, Ahmed and his office manager, engaged in a scheme to enrich themselves by defrauding D.C. Medicaid, a health care benefits program jointly funded by the federal government and the District of Columbia to provide health care services to residents who meet the income qualifying requirements.  As part of the scheme, Ahmed with the assistance of the office manager, applied to be a Medicaid provider.   Once approved to bill Medicaid, Ahmed and the office manager sought to increase the dental practice’s profits by recruiting Medicaid recipients as patients.  Ahmed and the office manager then billed D.C. Medicaid for thousands of provisional crowns that were not provided to the Medicaid patients and shared the fraud proceeds.  From August 9, 2012, through February 26, 2014, D.C. Medicaid paid Universal Smiles approximately $12.4 million; and it paid DES approximately $1.2 million from November 17, 2014, though February 1, 2016.  Of the more than $13 million that D.C. Medicaid paid to Universal Smiles and DES, approximately $5.4 million was for provisional crowns.   Of the $5.4 million that D.C. Medicaid paid for provisional crowns, Ahmed obtained approximately $4 million from the fraudulent scheme and the office manager obtained approximately $1.4 million.

           In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, and Special Agent in Charge Dixon commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the District of Columbia’s Office of the Inspector General. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Paralegal Specialists Aisha Keys and Brittany Phillips, Forensic Financial Analyst Bryan Snitselaar, and the DC OIG MFCU investigations team. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise A. Simmonds, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Bradford and Lionel Andre, who prosecuted the case.

            WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office honored 140 law enforcement officers, agents, and investigators for their outstanding work on dozens of cases that led to the convictions of murderers, drug traffickers, sexual predators, fraudsters, and other criminals. The event took place at the Great Hall of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building.

            U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu said the Office’s 36th Law Enforcement Awards Ceremony recognized the exceptional work performed by honorees on a wide variety of investigations, including those involving violent crimes, narcotics trafficking, fraud and public corruption, and terrorism and other national security matters. Their efforts led to convictions in 38 cases that had an impact locally, nationally, and internationally. The ceremony took place on Oct. 25, 2018.

            “These awards are a way to recognize the outstanding work that takes place every day to protect the citizens of the District of Columbia from threats at home and abroad,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “As prosecutors, we are inspired by the commitment shown by our law enforcement partners, who work around the clock to keep us safe.”

            The ceremony honored the achievements of people from 23 agencies, including the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the FBI, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S, Marshals Service, and other partners.

            Among cases highlighted at the ceremony, the U.S. Attorney’s Office recognized the work of more than 20 members of a team from the FBI, the U.S. State Department, and the Central Intelligence Agency for their investigation into the attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012. The attack led to the deaths of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. government personnel Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty. The investigation resulted in the capture and eventual trial of Libyan militia leader Ahmed Abu Khatallah, who was found guilty by a jury last year of federal charges for his role in the crimes.

            The Office also recognized a team from the MPD, the ATF, and the District of Columbia Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, for work leading to the conviction of Jerome Lewis on murder and other charges for setting a house fire in Northeast Washington in 2013 that caused the death of a four-year-old child, Samauri Michelle Jenkins. She was among tenants in his home. In addition to being sentenced to prison, Lewis was ordered to pay more than $200,000 to the estate of the child, based on an insurance pay-out he received after the fire.

            In another murder case, an MPD detective was honored for his investigation into the death of Tricia McCauley, who was slain on Christmas Day 2016 while on her way to a gathering with friends. The work led to conviction of Duane Johnson, a stranger to the victim who was arrested a day after the murder. Johnson is serving a 30-year prison term.

            Two detectives from MPD and an FBI Special Agent were honored for their investigation of Daraya Marshall, who persuaded four girls, ages 14 to 17, to prostitute for him in a sex trafficking operation out of an apartment in Southeast Washington. Marshall later pled guilty to federal charges and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. 

            The U.S. Marshals Service, MPD, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Cook County, Illinois Sheriff’s Office were recognized for work leading to the conviction of Bilal Ahmed, a dentist who sexually assaulted five former dental patients and one former employee and improperly touched another former employee. Ahmed was sentenced last year to a 16 ½-year prison term for the crimes.

            The ceremony reflected the wide variety of cases that are investigated by law enforcement agencies in the District of Columbia. Many honorees were recognized for work in cases involving money laundering, bank fraud and other white-collar crimes, including teams from the FBI’s Washington Field Office that identified fraudsters who cheated non-profits, including one who stole nearly $150,000 from a foundation for veterans.

 

            WASHINGTON – Bilal Ahmed, 45, a former dentist who practiced in Northwest Washington, was sentenced today to 16 ½ years in prison for sexually assaulting five former dental patients and one former employee and improperly touching another former employee. The victims, all males, were attacked in separate incidents between 2010 and 2014.

 

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Ahmed, of Rockville, Md., pled guilty in May 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to five felony charges, including one count of first-degree sexual abuse of a patient with aggravating circumstances and four counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a patient with aggravating circumstances. He also pled guilty to three misdemeanor charges, including two counts of sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, and one count of simple assault.

 

            Ahmed was sentenced by the Honorable Zoe Bush. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

 

             "Bilal Ahmed used his dental practice and his position of authority to sexually abuse vulnerable victims, some of whom were his own patients and staff,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “His victims included people who came to him for treatment and employment, caught off guard by his outrageous conduct. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for this criminal breach of trust.”

 

             According to the government’s evidence, Ahmed was practicing as a dentist at Universal Smiles DC, in the 2300 block of M Street NW. The practice was originally called Bilal Ahmed DDS PC dba Universal Smiles DC. Ahmed is the owner of these dental practices, which are now closed.

 

            The offenses against the dental patient victims took place at Universal Smiles and followed a typical pattern in which Ahmed would take patients into the procedure room, close the door, administer nitrous oxide through a facemask, and then sexually assault the victims while they were sedated. The attacks on patients took place on April 27, 2010, Aug. 30, 2012, April 24, 2013, April 25, 2013, and May 21, 2014. The incidents involving employees took place in July 2013 and January 2014.

 

            Ahmed’s D.C. dental license was suspended on Nov. 3, 2014, and his Maryland dental license was suspended on April 6, 2016. Ahmed was arrested on Jan. 7, 2016.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Sexual Assault Unit of the MPD and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Miranda and Patricia A. Riley; Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator David Foster; Victim/Witness Specialist LaJune Thames; Librarian Lisa Kosow; Paralegal Specialists Jason Manuel and Michelle Wicker; Criminal Investigator Nicole Hinson, and Financial Analyst Bryan Snitselaar. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Marcus-Kurn and Stuart D. Allen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.