Post Falls man pleads guilty to Medicaid fraud

A former Post Falls dentist pleaded guilty in federal court in Boise this week to obtaining Medicaid through false claims, a felony.

Darnell Carlos Dick, 36, also agreed to pay $280,000, including $50,000 in Medicaid investigative costs, rather than face a federal civil lawsuit, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The civil lawsuit accusing Dick of making false claims was filed in March 2004. A federal grand jury indicted him on criminal charges three months later.

Both lawsuits alleged that Dick sought Medicaid reimbursement for dental services he hadn’t provided between November 1999 and February 2001. During the same period, Dick was part of a partnership that included his father and brother to build Ice World USA in Liberty Lake. The venture ended in lawsuits when the partnership defaulted on $2.3 million in loans.

The lawsuits eventually were settled. Ice World USA closed in July 2002.

Federal District Court Judge Edward Lodge will sentence Dick on the Medicaid felony June 13.