Medicaid fraud: Lawrenceville man ordered to pay $330K

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - A Lawrenceville man faces prison time and a massive financial penalty after pleading guilty to a $330,000 Medicaid fraud scheme involving genetic testing services that were never provided, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced Thursday. 

Georgia Medicaid fraud

What we know:

Averil Johnson, 47, of Lawrenceville, pleaded guilty to two counts of Medicaid fraud after submitting false bills through his business, National Healthcare Center, LLC. Johnson operated a lab in Tucker, where he prepared fake patient files and false testing orders using the identities of two doctors without their knowledge. Georgia Medicaid repeatedly paid out $1,988.69 per claim for a specific genetic testing code, but interviewed patients denied any knowledge of the tests. 

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gregory Adams accepted the plea Tuesday and sentenced Johnson to 10 years, ordered him to serve one year in prison, and commanded him to pay $330,000 in restitution. The plot was exposed when an employee nurse called a hotline at the Georgia Department of Community Health, which referred the matter to the state's Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division for investigation. 

Unanswered case details

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet confirmed when Johnson will report to prison to begin his one-year sentence. Investigators have also not released the names of the doctors and nurses who were employed at the facility and had their identities compromised in the billing submissions. 

Genetic testing schemes

The backstory:

This conviction is part of a larger state crackdown on healthcare billing scams, according to the attorney general's office. Just last week, Carr announced civil and criminal actions against a Cobb County lab owner accused of running a similar genetic testing scheme. Since Carr took office, his Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division has secured more than 100 criminal convictions, resulting in nearly $26 million in criminal restitution and over $138 million in civil settlements.

Federal and state funds

By the numbers:

• $330,000: The total amount of restitution Johnson must pay back to the Georgia Medicaid program. 
• $1,988.69: The specific payout amount Johnson received from Medicaid for each fraudulent claim. 
• 75%: The portion of funding the Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division receives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, totaling $5,381,304 for the 2026 federal fiscal year. 
• 25%: The state-funded portion of the division's budget, which totals $1,793,768. 

Taxpayer resource protection

What they're saying:

"Genetic testing fraud is a growing problem across the country, and we’re going after those responsible," Carr said. "These illegal schemes deplete real resources for patients in need, and it won’t be tolerated here in Georgia. If you steal from taxpayers and cheat the system, you will be prosecuted and forced to pay back every dollar you stole".