FBI raids homes of Charlotte activist Cedric Dean in health care fraud investigation

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The FBI raided the home of Cedric Dean, a well-known community activist in Charlotte’s Palisades neighborhood, on Thursday.

The search is part of a federal investigation into an alleged multi-million dollar health care fraud scheme, according to federal court documents released to Queen City News.

A spokesperson for the FBI confirmed on Thursday that agents were “engaged in court-authorized investigative activity,” but did not offer further details.

Court documents obtained by QCN reveal that Dean and his company, Cedric Dean Holdings, are accused of fraudulently billing Medicaid for mental health services that were never provided. Investigators said Dean targeted vulnerable people, including those experiencing homelessness, in exchange for their Medicaid information, offering food or temporary shelter in return.

Dean allegedly submitted inflated or false claims to Medicaid, sometimes using fake diagnoses, and paid staff and recruiters through services like CashApp. Authorities said his company billed roughly $1 million per month and operated without enough staff to actually provide care.

Federal officials have seized his bank accounts, vehicles, including two RVs and luxury SUVs, and multiple properties in Charlotte and Shelby, that they said were purchased with fraud earnings.

Dean, founder and CEO of the HELP Program, has not been formally charged as of Thursday afternoon. The forfeiture case seeks to claim his assets as part of the ongoing investigation.

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