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Long Island native Dawer Nadi, age 63, was sentenced to a term of between 4 and ⅓ to 10 years in prison following his conviction in Suffolk County Supreme Court to multiple charges.
Specifically, Nadi was convicted by a jury of:
- Third-degree grand larceny;
- Unauthorized practice of a profession;
- Eight counts of offering a false instrument for filing.
Each of the charges was a felony. Nadi was also ordered to pay $27,768.42 in restitution.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said that Nadi’s New York dental license was revoked in January 2011, following a previous conviction in 2005 for fraudulently overbilling Medicaid.
However, despite the revocation of his license, Nadi continued to practice dentistry between 2012 and his arrest as a fugitive in 2020.
According to the AG, following his first conviction in 2005, Nadi was barred from participating as a healthcare provider in the Medicaid program and was prohibited from receiving payment for treating Medicaid patients.
At the time, Nadi agreed to pay $400,000 in restitution for the false claims, but the debt remains unpaid, James noted.
The Attorney General learned early in 2011 that Nadi was still practicing dentistry on Long Island and treating Medicaid patients. A subsequent investigation led to Nadi’s arrest later that year and his indictment in 2012.
Following his arrest, James said that Nadi fled to Afghanistan where he set up a dental practice.
While an arrest warrant was issued for Nadi, the US does not have an extradition treaty with Afghanistan and Nadi remained a fugitive until last year.
In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, Nadi left Afghanistan and attempted to re-enter the country, at which point he was arrested on March 21, 2020, upon his arrival at JFK Airport on the 2012 indictment.
“Dawer Nadi’s illegal practices put the health and safety of New Yorkers at risk, while cheating our state in the process,” James stated. “For years, Nadi used New York’s Medicaid program as his personal piggy bank and provided dental services without a medical license.
“He attempted to evade accountability, but today, the justice system has finally caught up with him,” she continued. “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.”
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