NEW BERN, N.C. — Four people connected to substance abuse clinics operating in Goldsboro and Kinston have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a $12.7 million Medicaid fraud scheme that paid more than $1 million in illegal kickbacks to patients struggling with addiction.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, the scheme involved the operation of Life Touch, LLC, a purported substance abuse treatment provider, and 1st Choice Healthcare Services, a urine drug screening company. The businesses operated locations in Goldsboro and Kinston.
Federal prosecutors said the companies billed the North Carolina Medicaid for fraudulent services while paying gift card kickbacks to drug-addicted patients to encourage them to attend appointments and submit drug tests.
The fraudulent billing scheme ran from 2018 through 2023 and resulted in more than $12.7 million in false claims submitted to Medicaid.
Sentences and Restitution
Keke Komeko Johnson, 53, of Goldsboro, was sentenced to six years in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $15.2 million in restitution to North Carolina Medicaid and $331,851 to the IRS. Johnson served as the compliance director for Life Touch and pleaded guilty in August 2025 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and related offenses.
Francine Sims Super, 64, of Kinston, the Kinston office manager for Life Touch, was also sentenced to six years in federal prison. She was ordered to pay more than $15.2 million in restitution to Medicaid and $373,810 to the IRS after pleading guilty to conspiracy, healthcare fraud, and tax-related offenses.
Kimberly Mable Sims, 39, of Snow Hill, who owned 1st Choice Healthcare Services, received two years in federal prison and was ordered to pay more than $1.8 million in restitution to Medicaid and $207,383 to the IRS.
Brandon Eugene Sims, 40, of Manvel, Texas, who owned Life Touch, was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison for failing to file federal tax returns on millions of dollars in illegal proceeds. He must pay nearly $1.9 million in restitution to the IRS and forfeit assets tied to the fraud scheme.
Business Shut Down and Millions Seized
The company, Life Touch, LLC, was ordered to dissolve permanently, pay a $15 million fine, and repay more than $12.7 million in restitution to North Carolina Medicaid.
During the investigation, federal agents seized more than $6 million in criminal proceeds, including cash, vehicles, and real estate. Among the assets seized were $1.3 million in cash, a 2021 Rolls-Royce Cullinan, a 2021 Chevrolet Corvette, and a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado.
Investigators said that after learning about the federal investigation in 2023, Brandon Sims withdrew more than $1 million in cash from a bank account and hid it in a safe at his Texas home. Federal agents later recovered the money during a search warrant execution.
Investigators: Scheme Exploited Vulnerable Patients
Federal officials said the operation targeted individuals struggling with addiction, offering gift cards as illegal incentives for attending appointments and undergoing unnecessary or fraudulent lab testing.
“This case shows how healthcare fraud can rob taxpayers and exploit vulnerable people seeking help,” said Reid Davis of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Investigators said the defendants also attempted to conceal the fraud during audits by falsifying documents and lying to investigators from the Eastpointe and the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Investigations Division.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the North Carolina Attorney General’s Medicaid Investigations Division.
Federal prosecutors say the case serves as a warning that those who defraud public health programs will face serious consequences.
