Ex-Hospital COO and former State Dental Board President Edward Hills sentenced to more than 15 years in federal kickback scheme

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This case adds to Prosperident's growing archive of dental practice theft and embezzlement cases across North America.

Update July 31, 2018: Dr. Edward Hills, a former MetroHealth System executive, and three dentists were found guilty of federal charges Friday for participating in a series of schemes that defrauded the Cuyahoga County, Ohio hospital.

Edward Hills Guilty

The jury returned guilty verdicts on dozens of charges against Edward Hills and former MetroHealth dentists Sari Alqsous, Yazan Al-Madani and Tariq Sayegh, including racketeering, conspiracy, mail fraud, bribery, receipt of kickbacks and obstruction of justice. Hills was also convicted of tax charges. Jurors found Alqsous not guilty of certain bribery and mail fraud charges, but he was convicted of bribery conspiracy charges. Al-Madani was also found not guilty of four mail fraud charges. The verdict came following a weeks-long corruption trial in the federal courthouse in Akron in which jurors were inundated with records and witnesses detailing kickbacks and schemes that prosecutors said enriched all the defendants, often while using MetroHealth resources. The U.S. Attorney's Office said all four received kickbacks, while the dentists also paid Hills in exchange for bonuses and steering business in their directions. Some evidence had a salacious spin, as prosecutors detailed kickbacks the dentists, who all emigrated from Jordan, gave to Hills for him and his girlfriends.

Update: 188-Month Federal Sentence

A federal jury convicted Hills of RICO conspiracy, bribery, Hobbs Act violations, and tax charges for taking kickbacks from dentists between 2008 and 2016, including $165,751 in unreported bribe income. He was sentenced in the Northern District of Ohio to 188 months — more than 15 years — in federal prison.

Sources: U.S. Attorney’s Office, N.D. Ohio (sentencing)