A North Carolina oral surgeon accused of orchestrating a $3 million fraudulent loan scheme in which he reportedly used the money to pay for personal expenses, including travel and farm equipment, was acquitted on April 25 by a jury, according to multiple stories.
Dr. Matthew Johnson, 59, who had owned Johnson Oral Surgery in Mooresville, NC, was acquitted of wire fraud and tax evasion following a jury trial.
In November 2023, Johnson, of Troutman, NC, was indicted for allegedly filing a false and fraudulent loan application to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in the name of his dental practice and the now-defunct real estate development company Mount Mourne Springs between August 2018 and 2021.
The loan application purportedly contained fraudulent information, including false information regarding the status of the oral surgeon’s personal and business taxes and outstanding tax debts. Johnson was accused of submitting a fabricated letter that was purported to be from the IRS that falsely represented that Johnson had entered a payment plan with the revenue agency. The fraudulent application resulted in Johnson receiving an SBA-backed loan for more than $3 million.
Contrary to claims Johnson made on the application about the purpose of the loan, authorities claimed that he used the money to pay for personal expenses, including travel, farm equipment, home improvement projects, and cash withdrawals, according to the release. From October 2015 to November 2021, Johnson purportedly committed tax evasion from 2013 to 2016 and allegedly failed to pay more than $615,000 in taxes he owed to the IRS.
