Rodney L. Yentzer, 55, formerly of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and now residing in Chuluota, Florida, has been sentenced to 42 months in federal prison for his role in a multi-million dollar healthcare fraud conspiracy. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced the sentencing today, along with an order for Yentzer to pay an additional $2,993,386.19 in restitution. This comes after Yentzer previously paid $900,000 towards a civil settlement with the United States in 2022.
Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus stated that Yentzer had admitted to defrauding Medicare and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services between 2016 and 2020. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and theft of public money.
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According to court documents, Yentzer conspired with others to defraud Medicare by submitting claims for medically unnecessary urine drug tests for chronic opioid patients at medical clinics he controlled. These clinics included a group known as Pain Medicine of York or “PMY,” also operating as All Better Wellness.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday emphasized the severity of Yentzer’s actions, stating, “This defendant’s only interest was in his own wealth, and he exploited patients and defrauded a state healthcare system designed to promote wellness for vulnerable residents in order to line his pockets. I commend our federal partners for collaborating with our team on a comprehensive investigation that culminated in a significant prison sentence.”
The investigation revealed that Yentzer assumed control of various medical practices between 2014 and 2018, including the original PMY location. These practices also included clinics previously run by John H. Johnson, identified as “Physician 1” in the February 2022 charges against Yentzer.
The court documents detailed John H. Johnson’s prior legal troubles, including a July 2015 indictment for tax offenses and a September 2016 charge in Florida for a separate healthcare fraud scheme involving kickbacks for unnecessary tests and failure to pay employment taxes. Johnson was sentenced to 84 months in prison in June 2017 and ordered to pay over $3 million in restitution. Following Johnson’s incarceration, the operation of his clinics was transitioned to PMY under Yentzer’s control.
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Evidence showed that even prior to Johnson’s imprisonment, Yentzer took direction from him, including on clinical matters at PMY. In 2016, Johnson instructed Yentzer to implement a practice of ordering multiple urine drug tests for each patient at every visit, a practice Yentzer knew did not constitute individualized care as required by Medicare. Despite repeated warnings about the unlawful nature of these billing practices, Yentzer maintained the practice until PMY was shut down in late 2019 following a law enforcement raid.
Between mid-2017 and the end of 2019, PMY billed Medicare for over $10 million in urine drug tests, receiving over $4 million in payments. Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program was also billed for these tests. Notably, the tests were often sent to an in-house laboratory at PMY, ensuring the proceeds directly benefited the clinic.
The ill-gotten gains were then used for the benefit of Yentzer, Johnson, Johnson’s wife Paula Z. Johnson, and Florentina Mayko, the former CEO of PMY. Yentzer used the funds to purchase luxury items, including expensive watches and a four-carat diamond ring, as well as luxury vehicles and substantial home upgrades. He later sold his Carlisle home for approximately $1.3 million in 2022 to contribute to restitution and the civil settlement.
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Further details revealed a scheme to funnel money to John H. Johnson even after his incarceration. Before reporting to prison, Johnson asked Yentzer to place his wife, Paula Z. Johnson (“Physician 2”), on the PMY payroll despite her not having practiced medicine in years. To create the appearance of legitimate work, she would periodically send Yentzer summaries of medical literature, receiving a large salary and even having a PMY employee perform household chores at her residence.
Yentzer also facilitated other financial benefits for the Johnsons, including purchasing a car for their son, leasing an Audi Q5 for Paula Z. Johnson, contributing to their children’s college savings accounts, and covering legal bills and personal loans, all with the Johnsons’ knowledge.
PMY abruptly ceased operations in November 2019 after search warrants were executed due to an inability to retain medical providers.
Adding to his offenses, Yentzer received over $191,000 in COVID-19 stimulus funds in April 2020, intended for healthcare providers with pandemic-related expenses, despite having resigned from PMY the previous month and the clinic being closed. He allegedly used these funds for personal expenses unrelated to COVID-19 relief.
The sentencings of Yentzer’s co-conspirators have also occurred in recent months. In December 2023, former CEO Florentina Mayko was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay over $1.4 million in restitution and forfeit properties purchased with fraud proceeds. In September 2024, John H. Johnson received an additional 97-month prison sentence and was ordered to pay another $2.3 million in restitution. Paula Z. Johnson was sentenced to three years of probation, including six months of home detention, and ordered to pay over $249,000 in restitution, fines, and assessments.
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