NC dentist arrested in $3M loan scheme; used money on jewelry, vehicles, trips, feds say
A Lake Norman-area dentist submitted false information to get a $3 million government loan and spent part of it on personal travel, jewelry and home repairs, according to a recently unsealed federal grand jury indictment.
The oral surgeon, 58-year-old Troutman resident Matthew Johnson, also is accused in the indictment of failing to pay more than $615,000 in federal taxes from 2013 through 2016.
Johnson was arrested Nov. 16 on charges of wire fraud and tax evasion and pleaded not guilty two days later before Magistrate Judge David Keesler in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, court records show.
Johnson, who was freed on bond after his first court appearance Nov. 17, didn’t return a phone message from The Charlotte Observer on Friday.
Johnson was a dentist and oral surgeon who owned Johnson Oral Surgery in Mooresville and Mount Mourne Springs LLC, a real estate development company, according to court documents.
The indictment says he submitted a false application for a loan backed by the Small Business Administration. The application was in the names of both his practice and real estate firm, U.S. Attorney Dena King said in a news release.
Johnson allegedly submitted false documents with the application, including a letter claiming to be from the IRS saying he was on a payment plan with the agency. He also falsely stated the status of his taxes, King said.
Court records show Johnson used thousands of dollars from the loan on personal vehicle and jewelry purchases, travel and home repairs but do not share specifics.
The actions that led to the wire fraud charge occurred between August 2018 and November 2021, prosecutors said.
Johnson faces up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charge and a maximum five years on the tax evasion charge, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Each charge also carries up to $250,000 fine.
Work by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division led to the charges, King said.
Johnson made headlines in 2021 when the N.C. Court of Appeals dismissed a $2.3 million adultery verdict against him because he did not know he was on trial, The Charlotte Observer reported at the time. The lawsuit accused him of having an affair with a married nurse.
Johnson was found guilty in 2017 and 2001 of driving while impaired in Iredell County, court records show
DAVID RAYNOR OF THE NEWS & OBSERVER CONTRIBUTED.
This story was originally published November 24, 2023 at 12:39 PM.