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Cedric Dean: FBI raids Charlotte activist's homes in Medicaid fraud case; what are the allegations?
FBI and SWAT raided activist Cedric Dean’s Charlotte home amid a civil forfeiture probe alleging his firm paid to collect Medicaid IDs from the homeless.
The FBI and SWAT teams raided the home of Cedric Dean, a community activist from Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday. Dean and his company, Cedric Dean Holdings, are accused of paying recruiters to collect Medicaid IDs from homeless individuals in exchange for housing, food, or money.
Filings claim Dean’s company billed Medicaid $14.5 million, received $9 million in reimbursements, and used the funds to buy cars and properties, which were raided by the FBI on Thursday.
As of now, charges have not been filed in the alleged health care fraud scheme, and the allegations are part of a civil forfeiture filing. Reports indicate that three properties owned by Cedric Dean's companies were raided by the FBI and SWAT teams on Thursday.
An FBI official at the raid told local news channel WBTV that they were conducting a “court authorized investigative activity.”
Who Is Cedric Dean?
Cedric Dean comes from the Palisades neighborhood in southwest Charlotte. According to his website, he is an entrepreneur and community activist. His website notes that he has served over 28 years in prison and now works in the reform of the criminal justice system. Among his other areas of work are mental health support, especially for children and adults affected by autism.
Records on social media show that he regularly interacts with local politicians over community-related matters. For instance, in April, he appeared in a press conference with local councilwoman Tiawana Brown to defend her against some of the allegations being made. Notably, Brown is listed as an employee in the website of Cedric Dean;s company.
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Here's a photo of Cedric Dean with councilwoman Tiawana Brown at a press conference shared by local reporter, Joe Bruno.
Back in May, Cedric Dean's name came up in an investigation after a woman, and her 1-year-old son were found dead in one of the motels Dean's companies was leasing as homeless shelter.
