Here are six fraud cases in the dental industry that Becker's has reported on this year:
1. Christian O'Connor, DMD, pleaded no contest to health insurance fraud and first-degree larceny as part of a plea deal he entered Nov. 20. The prosecutor in the case can argue for Dr. O'Connor to serve up to one year in prison unless he pays $200,484 in restitution by his sentencing date.
2. Javad Aghaloo, DDS, pleaded guilty to Medicare fraud in October. As part of the guilty plea, Dr. Aghaloo forfeited more than $1 million in property and $8,476,466.23 in restitution to Medicare.
3. Scott Cale, DDS, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for engaging in a Medicaid fraud scheme. In addition to his prison sentence, Dr. Cale will undergo one year of supervised release and pay $1.1 million in restitution.
4. Brian Bui, DDS, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for COVID-19 relief fraud. In addition to his prison sentence, Dr. Bui must pay $1,491,305.97 in restitution.
5. Jack Massarsky, DDS, was sentenced to two years in prison for embezzling more than $1.2 million from his employer and fraudulently obtaining government benefits in his employer’s name. He paid more than $1.2 million in restitution prior to his sentencing.
6. Clarence Nabers, DDS, was sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit healthcare fraud. In addition to his prison sentence, Dr. Nabers must serve six months of home detention and one year of supervised release, and pay $249,600 in restitution and a $22,128 fine.