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Leaders of Kinston substance abuse treatment facility plead guilty to paying kickbacks to patients

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston
Published August 27, 2025 at 6:35 AM EDT
The U.S. Department of Justice logo.
Patrick Semansky
/
AP
The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium in Baltimore, last year.

The leaders of a Kinston substance abuse treatment facility have pled guilty to paying kickbacks to patients and violating tax laws.

Court documents show Keke Komeko Johnson and Francine Sims Super ran Life Touch LLC, and used Medicaid reimbursement funds to purchase more than $1 million in gift cards – which they handed out to patients to get them to show up for treatment.

Over four years, U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle said Johnson, Super, and other Life Touch employees routinely paid patients based on the number of days per week that the patients showed up to receive services. Every day a patient showed up, the more money the company received from Medicaid.

They will be sentenced in November. Johnson faces a maximum of 11 years in prison and Super could be imprisoned for as long as six years.
Annette Weston
Annette is originally a Midwest gal, born and raised in Michigan, but with career stops in many surrounding states, the Pacific Northwest, and various parts of the southeast. An award-winning journalist and mother of four, Annette moved to eastern North Carolina in 2019 to be closer to family – in particular, her two young grandchildren. It’s possible that a -27 day with a -68 windchill in Minnesota may have also played a role in that decision. In her spare time, Annette does a lot of kiddo cuddling, reading, and producing the coolest Halloween costumes anyone has ever seen. She has also worked as a diversity and inclusion facilitator serving school districts and large corporations. It’s the people that make this beautiful area special, and she wants to share those stories that touch the hearts of others. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.
See stories by Annette Weston