FBI: Doctor Cooked Books, Sold Drugs to Addicts

January 26, 2009

By Joel Moreno & KOMO Staff

ABERDEEN, Wash. -- The FBI is investigating a local doctor accused of defrauding Medicare for services that were never performed while supplying prescription drugs to addicts.

Last week federal agents raided Dr. Antoine D. Johnson's four clinics around Western Washington, taking patient records, computer files and billing statements to investigate the allegations.

The Aberdeen physician and surgeon keeps a high profile in the community, and has even appeared on a local talk show.

But investigators said Johnson, who has clinics in Aberdeen, Lakewood, Olympia and Tacoma, gets addicts to pay cash for prescription drug. He also bills Medicare and Medicaid for services he doesn't perform, they said, and cheats on his tax returns.

Johnson's case came to light after Regence BlueShield conducted an audit for four of Johnson's patients between October 2004 and February 2006.

The audit revealed a pattern of "up-coding" - a process by which health care providers submit a claim for a higher level of service than was actually performed. Johnson was also making double claims, sometimes on the same day, and claims for services that did not fit the patient's condition, the audit found.

According to an affidavit obtained by KOMO News, a former employee told investigators "Dr. Johnson's clinic is known as a drug mill and pill farm in the community."

LaWanda Johnson, the surgeon's mother who manages his Aberdeen clinic, is also under investigation.

A former employee told investigator, "Dr. Johnson was known as 'the Candy Man' in Aberdeen," the affidavit said.

Another employee said he once "overheard patients asking each other what drugs they were getting, and discussing possible trades of drugs between them."

The former employee said Johnson did not document patient visits and when his patients went to another doctor, "that provider would have no idea why the patients were receiving the prescribed medications, or what they were being treated for."

A third former employee said the clinic waiting room so crowded that the patients were lined up out the door and in the parking lot. Many were looking for prescription refills, and Oxycontin, Oxycodone, Vicodin and Soma were commonly requested. When used together, Vicodin and Soma are known as "the poor man's heroin," the affidavit said.

Prior to the raids, several undercover agents visited the clinic as patients. One agent said on several occasions, he had his weight, temperature and blood pressure checked, then was sent home with a prescription for pain medication.

During visits when he did see Johnson, the agent said the doctor did not examine him or talk to him about health problems, but kept his distance and just made idle chat.

Another undercover agent said he was sitting in the waiting room of one clinic when he saw that another patient sitting near him was cleaning his crack pipe.

Neither of the Johnsons returned calls made by KOMO News; however, both denied wrongdoing to the Aberdeen Daily World newspaper.

The Department of Health has received numerous complaints about Johnson, and is working with the state Attorney General's Office to bring charges against him for eight separate complaints, the affidavit said.

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