A Maryland dentist has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and healthcare fraud.
Edward Buford III, DDS, 70, previously practiced in Washington, D.C., and was the owner and CEO of International Dental Associates, according to a Nov. 18 news release from the Justice Department. From January 2013 to May 2018, Dr. Buford led a scheme to file fraudulent Medicaid claims for dental services and recruited Medicaid beneficiaries by paying kickbacks and bribes. He also maintained a post office box in Maryland as the practice's billing address to receive fraudulently obtained payments. He pleaded guilty to the charges in May.
In addition to his prison sentence, Dr. Buford will complete three years of supervised release and pay $1,267,630 in restitution.