Dr. Sonu Kakar, a dentist operating in Northern Virginia, built a $28 million mansion near the CIA headquarters and sold it to the government of the United Arab Emirates in September 2025. The sale follows a period during which federal records indicate Kakar’s dental practices billed approximately $12 million to the Medicaid program between 2018 and the first half of 2023.
The transaction marks the latest addition to a cluster of Gulf-state-owned properties along Chain Bridge Road in Arlington, Virginia. While the sale was advertised as the priciest East Coast home transaction since 2021, questions have arisen regarding the volume of Medicaid billing associated with the practices that funded the real estate expansion.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative commentators and critics of government spending point to the Kakar case as an example of waste and fraud within the Medicaid system. They emphasize that Kakar personally billed over $6 million to Medicaid, while his employees, many with foreign names, accounted for the remaining balance.
The Right highlights the lifestyle choices of the practice owners, noting Kakar’s residence next to a Bentley and his subsequent $28 million home sale. They argue that this disparity between service quality reported by some patients and the financial success of the owners illustrates a failure of oversight in federal welfare programs.
Furthermore, the Right draws attention to the geopolitical implications of the sale. They note that the property was purchased by the United Arab Emirates, joining a growing concentration of Gulf-state-owned mega-estates in Arlington. Critics argue that the transfer of prime American real estate to foreign state actors, particularly those with varying human rights records, should be subject to greater national security review.
Some conservative voices also pointed to the legal history of employee Babak Salahbin, who billed $1.8 million to Medicaid and has prior misdemeanor convictions for reckless driving and subway fare evasion. They question whether individuals with such backgrounds should have access to taxpayer-funded billing systems without more rigorous vetting.
What the Left Is Saying
Critics and patient reviews have raised concerns about the potential overutilization of Medicaid funds by Kakar Dental Group. Multiple reviews on public platforms describe instances where patients, particularly children, underwent procedures that were later disputed by other dentists.
One review highlighted a case where a four-year-old was recommended four root canals, which a second opinion deemed unnecessary. Another patient described a traumatic experience involving a child who had a mouth full of blood after a drilling procedure, alleging the dentist yelled at the child for getting blood on the chair.
Progressive commentators and patient advocacy groups note that high-volume billing practices, when coupled with reports of aggressive treatment plans, suggest a need for stricter oversight of Medicaid-funded private practices. They argue that taxpayer dollars should be monitored for efficiency and patient safety, particularly when owners accumulate significant personal wealth from the program.
Additionally, the Left has focused on the ethical conduct of staff, citing an incident where a dentist employee, Babak Salahbin, sent an antisemitic message to a group called Physicians Against Antisemitism. Although Kakar stated the message did not reflect company views, critics argue that such behavior in a publicly funded practice warrants scrutiny.
What the Numbers Show
Federal records indicate that Kakar’s dental companies received $12 million from Medicaid between 2018 and the first half of 2023. Of this total, more than $6 million was attributed to work performed personally by Sonu Kakar, who also goes by the name Deepak.
The property in question was purchased as land for $2.1 million in 2018. Construction of a 21,000-square-foot mansion was completed by 2024. The home was listed for sale at $30 million but was taken off the market in May 2025 before being sold off-market in an all-cash deal to the United Arab Emirates for $28 million in September 2025.
Kakar used part of the proceeds to purchase 221 Chain Bridge Road in Arlington for $15 million. This property is located in an area where the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has established a $130 million compound and the State of Qatar owns a $20 million property, according to Daily Wire documentation from 2024.
Employee Babak Salahbin, who previously worked under Kakar and now runs Ashburn Modern Dentistry, billed $1.8 million to Medicaid primarily through Kakar’s practice. Salahbin’s public record includes misdemeanor convictions for reckless driving and subway fare evasion, though no allegations of Medicaid fraud have been filed against him specifically in the source material.
The Bottom Line
The sale of the $28 million mansion to the United Arab Emirates highlights the intersection of domestic healthcare spending and international real estate trends in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. The case underscores ongoing debates about Medicaid oversight, with critics on both sides citing either patient harm or fiscal waste as evidence of systemic issues.
The concentration of Gulf-state-owned properties along Chain Bridge Road continues to grow, raising questions about the long-term impact on local housing markets and neighborhood demographics. Future scrutiny may focus on whether increased regulatory oversight is needed for dental practices with high Medicaid billing volumes and their owners' real estate transactions.
No criminal charges have been filed against Sonu Kakar or Babak Salahbin regarding the Medicaid billing or the real estate transactions. The Daily Wire noted that Salahbin claimed his Facebook account was hacked regarding the antisemitic message, a claim that remains unverified by independent sources.