Carr: Laboratory Owner Faces Criminal Charges and Civil Complaint for Genetic Testing Fraud

COBB COUNTY, GA – Attorney General Chris Carr today announced that his Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division has brought a new civil complaint and criminal indictment against Maged Awad, 61, of Marietta, Georgia, both alleging the submission of false or fraudulent genetic testing claims to the Georgia Medicaid program.

These are the latest actions Carr’s office has taken to combat fraud, waste and abuse of Georgia Medicaid caused by genetic testing schemes and those who seek to profit off such scams.  

“This is just one step in our ongoing efforts to fight fraud that exploits patients and the Medicaid program at large,” said Carr. “We won’t hesitate to take both civil and criminal action to ensure that taxpayer dollars are appropriately safeguarded and only serve the legitimate needs of our citizens. Those who seek to cheat the system will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Case Summaries

The civil complaint* names both Awad and the clinical laboratory he operated, K&S Clinical Diagnostics Consulting Services, LLC. As alleged in the complaint, from May 2020 through at least June 2024, the defendants knowingly submitted false claims to Georgia Medicaid for genetic screening tests that lacked legitimate physician orders. In numerous instances, the patients for whom tests were purportedly conducted had not provided DNA samples to be tested in the first place. The complaint is brought under the Georgia False Medicaid Claims Act.

The indictment* against Awad, which was returned in Cobb County, alleges that the defendant fraudulently caused more than $300,000 in payments from Georgia Medicaid resulting from genetics testing claims which falsely identified certain medical professionals as having ordered tests they never requested. Specifically, Awad is facing three counts of Medicaid Fraud.

About the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division

Since Attorney General Chris Carr first took office, his Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division has secured more than 100 convictions for Medicaid fraud and the abuse, neglect and exploitation of older adults, resulting in nearly $26 million in restitution orders in criminal matters. Over this same period, Carr’s Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division has obtained civil settlements and judgements totaling more than $138 million as a result of its efforts to safeguard the Georgia Medicaid program.

The Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $5,381,304 for Federal FY 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,793,768, is funded by the State of Georgia. 

 *Members of the public should keep in mind that the indictment and complaint only contain allegations against the individuals and entities named. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and it will be the government’s burden at trial to prove the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the allegations contained in the indictment. There has been no finding or admission of liability concerning the civil allegations.