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A heart surgeon from Tallahassee, Florida has officially been sentenced to 7 years in prison after pleading guilty to 56 counts of health care fraud in December 2020. Dr. Moses DeGraft-Johnson was convicted of billing Capital Health Plan, Medicare, and numerous patients from underserved communities for procedures he never performed at his now-defunct clinic Heart and Vascular Institute of North Florida.
According to BlackNews.com, the fraudulent cardio-vascular doctor recommended his patients undergo unnecessary angiograms– a diagnostic test that uses x-rays to take pictures of your blood vessels, and a procedure that can be costly. In addition to health care fraud, DeGraft-Johnson was also charged with conspiracy to fraud and aggravated identity theft. The outlet notes that Johnson received nearly $29 million from his bogus health care billings that he used to fund his lavish lifestyle. Now, he is ordered to pay nearly $28.4 million in restitution. His license has also been surrendered.
“I stand before you to let you know I’m very remorseful,” he told the judge in court according to WCTV. “I take full responsibility. I did wrong. I’m very sorry. Even though I’m not going to practice medicine, I feel that there is a lot of good left in
me.”
Interestingly enough, the Ghana native was the same health official who helped save rapper 50 Cent’s life in 2000 after the Branson Cognac founder was rushed into a Queen’s trauma ward for multiple gunshot wounds, Yahoo News reported. 50 Cent commented on the scheming doctor’s conviction in December 2020 after his name began associating with the case.
“Got Damn Doc! WTF, you got my name in this bullshit for scammer. The f**k wrong with you. LOL” he tweeted at the time.
While DeGraft-Johnson was accredited for saving 50’s life, their relationship reportedly turned sour after he slammed the rapper with a lawsuit for an alleged unpaid hospital bill worth $32K after he grew famous.
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