LI man, who lost dental license, sentenced for submitting false Medicaid claims 

A Huntington man was sentenced Wednesday to 4 1/3 to 10 years in prison for submitting false Medicaid claims for dental services even after his dental license was revoked, according to State Attorney General Letitia James.

Dawer Nadi, 63, was convicted last month of third-degree grand larceny, unauthorized practice of dentistry and eight counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing.

Nadi, who was a fugitive for eight years after fleeing to his native Afghanistan, was also ordered to pay nearly $28,000 in restitution.

"Dawer Nadi’s illegal practices put the health and safety of New Yorkers at risk, while cheating our state in the process," James said. "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."

Matthew Tuohy, Nadi's Huntington-based defense attorney, said the legal process has "destroyed" his client's life, "in terms of his marriage, his ability to be in the country and see his kids and practice dentistry. For a guy who came here and really achieved … it's very sad that he's in this position."

In March 2005, Nadi was first convicted of fraudulently overbilling Medicaid for dental services. He was barred from participating as a health care provider in the Medicaid program, including receiving payment for treating Medicaid patients.

Nadi’s New York dental license was revoked in January 2011 and he was ordered to pay the state $400,000 in restitution for filing false claims — a debt that remains unpaid, prosecutors said.

Later that year, detectives from the Office of the Attorney General learned that Nadi was still practicing dentistry on Long Island and treating Medicaid patients. He was arrested in 2012 but fled to Afghanistan, where he set up a dental practice, officials said. The U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with Afghanistan.

In March 2020, as the pandemic spread worldwide, Nadi left Afghanistan but was arrested at JFK International Airport as he attempted to reenter the U.S., authorities said.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.