NC doctor to pay $1.7 million to settle fraud case

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina doctor will pay more than $1 million to settle allegations he bilked the government out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
   
The Department of Justice said Friday that Dr. Benedict Okwara of Charlotte has agreed to pay $1.7 million to settle allegations that he billed Medicare, Medicaid and the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program for more services than he provided.
   
The settlement ends a multiyear investigation over bills Okwara submitted between 1999 and 2006.
   
Okwara’s settlement is twice the amount he billed the government. He also will be required to have an auditor monitor his billing practices for a five-year period.
   
Okwara owns First Care Medical Clinic, which has offices in Monroe, Indian Trail, Locust and Albemarle.