Former Long Island Dentist Sentenced In Medicaid Fraud

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A former dentist from Long Island was convicted of Medicaid fraud and sentenced to prison, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Wednesday.

Dawer Nadi, 63, submitted false Medicaid claims for dental services after his dental license was revoked. Nadi was previously convicted of billing Medicaid for treating a dead patient in 2005. His residence was listed as Long Island by the attorney general, but Nadi lived in Huntington at the time of his 2005 conviction.

Nadi was convicted in August of grand larceny, unauthorized practice of dentistry, and several counts of filing false Medicaid claims. He was sentenced to 4-and-a-third to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $27,768.42 in restitution.

Nadi’s New York dental license was revoked in January 2011 following his previous conviction from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in March 2005 for fraudulently overbilling Medicaid for dental services. The OAG's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit began investigating Nadi in 2011 when it learned that he continued to practice dentistry despite his license being revoked. He was arrested in 2020 after being a fugitive since 2012.

"Dawer Nadi’s illegal practices put the health and safety of New Yorkers at risk, while cheating our state in the process," James stated in a news release. "For years, Nadi used New York’s Medicaid program as his personal piggybank and provided dental services without a medical license. He attempted to evade accountability, but today, the justice system has finally caught up with him. On my watch, no one will be allowed to line his own pockets with public funds, and we will fight tooth and nail for the wellbeing of all New Yorkers."

After his 2005 conviction, Nadi was barred from participating as a health care provider in the Medicaid program — a sanction known as "exclusion" — and was banned from receiving payment for treating Medicaid patients. At the time, Nadi agreed to pay the state $400,000 in restitution for the false claims he filed, but he has yet to pay the debt. Prior to his 2005 conviction, Nadi practiced dentistry on Webster Avenue in the Bronx.

In January 2011, based on the 2005 conviction, Nadi’s license to practice dentistry in New York state was revoked, and he was prohibited from practicing dentistry altogether.

In early 2011, OAG detectives found that Nadi was still practicing dentistry on Long Island and treating Medicaid patients. Nadi was arrested later that year and was indicted in 2012, detectives said. After his arrest, Nadi fled to Afghanistan and set up a dental practice, the OAG said. While an arrest warrant was issued for Nadi, the United States does not have an extradition treaty with Afghanistan and Nadi remained a fugitive until last year, according to the OAG.

In March 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic spread worldwide, Nadi left Afghanistan and tried to return to the United States. He was arrested on March 21, 2020, when he arrived at JFK International Airport, and then arraigned on the 2012 indictment.

Nadi was convicted of third-degree grand larceny (a class D felony), unauthorized practice of a profession (a class E felony), and eight counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing (class E felonies).