Scott Cale, DDS, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for engaging in a Medicaid fraud scheme.
Dr. Cale, 68, was arrested in January 2020 along with Anthony DiStefano III, DDS, and Robin Cronin, a dental office manager.
MassHealth removed Dr. DiStefano from the MassHealth program in 2005. After being denied readmission, Dr. DiStefano added Dr. Cale to his practice. From 2014-18, dental services completed by Dr. DiStefano were billed to MassHealth using Dr. Cale's provider credentials. Dr. Cale then paid Dr. DiStefano a portion of the money he received from MassHealth. Ms. Cronin, the office manager, knew about the arrangement and billed MassHealth for services, according to the indictment. Multiple MassHealth patients were harmed and received poor care from Dr. DiStefano because of the scheme, according to an Aug. 10 news release.
The charges against Dr. DiStefano were dismissed. Ms. Cronin pleaded guilty in September 2021 and is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 15.
In addition to his prison sentence, Dr. Cale will undergo one year of supervised release and pay $1.1 million in restitution.