8 dentists who were convicted of billing fraud charges in 2020

The dental industry sometimes witnesses its professionals committing insurance fraud — often through overtreatment, unnecessary sedation, upcoding tooth sealants to fillings or abusing so-called encounter fees.

Below are eight insurance fraud cases dentists faced in 2020, as covered by Becker's Dental Review.

  1. Connecticut dentist Abbas Mohammadi, DDS, agreed to pay a $300,000 settlement after allegedly overbilling for services and allowing uncertified dental assistants to perform procedures they were not qualified to do.

  2. San Diego dentist April Ambrosio, DDS, had her dental license suspended and was sentenced to six years in prison after she pleaded guilty to fraudulently billing insurance companies $866,700.

  3. Denver Tackett, DMD, owner and operator of McDowell, Ky.-based Tackett Family Dentistry, pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud, saying he submitted false claims and claims for unnecessary treatment to Kentucky Medicaid for reimbursement.

  4. Anthony DiStefano III, DDS, and Scott Cale, DDS, were indicted for allegedly defrauding MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program.

  5. Seth Lookhart, DMD, an Alaska dentist who extracted a patient's tooth while on a hoverboard, received a 12-year prison sentence for dozens of charges, some of which were for Medicaid fraud.

  6. Missouri dentist Bradley Seyer, DDS, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine after pleading guilty to Medicare fraud and illegally prescribing narcotics.

  7. Yun Sup Kim, DDS, of Emerald Terrace Dental in Swansea, Ill., pleaded guilty to a Medicaid fraud scheme that spanned three years.

  8. David Palo, DDS, a former oral surgeon at Lehrian & Palo Oral Surgery in Erie, Pa., agreed to enter a pretrial diversion program and pay nearly $47,000 to avoid ongoing prosecution in federal court for an insurance fraud case.

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Delta Dental Institute to federal agencies: Prioritize oral health in leadership, funding

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