Oak Lawn methadone clinic owner used millions in Medicaid fraud scheme to buy yacht, cars, jewelry, feds say

The Justice Department charged 19 Illinoisans, three of them from Chicago, with various healthcare fraud schemes Tuesday, as part of a large-scale investigation that yielded charges against more than 450 people in numerous schemes across the country.In one case, Daniel Robinson, 51, from Palos Park, is accused of defrauding Illinois Medicaid through filing false claims for behavioral health counseling and therapy services that were never provided.Since January 2024, Robinson’s company, ODA Solutions, an Oak Lawn methadone clinic, has billed Illinois Medicaid more than $95 million and has been paid about $75 million, according to the Justice Department. He allegedly told others in his company to create fake medical records and bill them for counseling services that were not provided, including for some patients who had died.Robinson moved about $45 million in fraudulent proceeds into several accounts, of which about $7 million was spent on luxury cars, a yacht, which he named, “Butt Nekkid,” jewelry and real estate, according to U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros’ office.Robinson allegedly submitted claims for 500 or more hours of counseling services per day, more than what his staff could provide if they had worked 24 hours per day, according to the Justice Department.“ODA Solutions’ massive profit margins and Robinson’s massive distribution of fraud proceeds for non-business purposes were made possible by the fact that Robinson was not paying any providers to render the vast majority of the services ODA Solutions billed to managed care organizations,” a criminal complaint against Robinson, filed last week in federal court, states.The indictment was a surprise for Robinson, his attorney, Mike Leonard, told the Sun-Times Tuesday evening."It's a case we look forward to defending because we don't see any basis for the charges in the first place," Leonard said. "The fact that someone has made money in this industry is completely irrelevant to whether they committed fraud. ... It's a heavily regulated and audited industry by third parties and insurance carriers. So we think it's much ado about nothing."Leonard also criticized Robinson's arrest in Miami, where he is currently being held, saying it was "beyond the pale.""It's the type of move you make for show," Leonard said. "It's senseless to me. They could have called him."

The Justice Department accuses Oak Lawn methadone clinic owner Daniel Robinson, 51, of Palos Park, with stealing millions of dollars in a Medicaid fraud scheme and using it to buy luxury items, including several cars.Justice Department

The Justice Department’s announcement Tuesday was part of its “2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown,” which charges 455 people, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, with numerous healthcare fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving more than $6.5 billion in false claims.“Healthcare fraud causes billions of dollars in losses to the federal government and private insurers and all too often involves the exploitation of patients through unnecessary or unsafe medical tests and procedures,” Boutros said in a statement.Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office has also charged 17 people from Illinois with different healthcare fraud schemes.Charles Berry, 46, of Chicago, is accused of submitting false claims to the Illinois Department of Human Services for services that were not provided under the Home Services Program, which serves people with severe disabilities in their home.Donald Johnson, 50, and Brittany Lofton, 25, both from Chicago, are also charged in separate schemes with making false claims to the Home Services Program. Both are accused of submitting claims that overlap with dates and times that the intended recipient was either admitted to a long-term care facility or a hospital.Physician and pharmacy owner Mohammad Khamis, 57, of River Forest, is accused of working with Amro Abdel-Fattah, 45, of Lombard, to submit more than $1 million in false claims for pharmaceutical prescriptions that were never filled or not legally prescribed.