COBB COUNTY, GA — A Marietta lab owner has been indicted on criminal charges for allegedly submitting fraudulent genetic testing claims to Georgia Medicaid.

Maged Awad, 61, and his company, K&S Clinical Diagnostics Consulting Services, are accused of billing the program for genetic screenings that were often not performed, and in some cases submitted without DNA samples, officials said.

Attorney General Chris Carr said Awad caused Georgia Medicaid to pay more than $300,000 for the alleged fake testing claims.

Awad is facing three counts of Medicaid fraud.

“This is just one step in our ongoing efforts to fight fraud that exploits patients and the Medicaid program at large,” Carr said. “We won’t hesitate to take both civil and criminal action to ensure that taxpayer dollars are appropriately safeguarded and only serve the legitimate needs of our citizens.”

Officials said the indictment, returned in Cobb County, alleges Awad submitted false claims from May 2020 through at least June 2024, including billing for tests without valid physician orders and in some cases without patient DNA samples.