Amy Jacob

A Cleveland dentist was charged Monday with fraud after authorities say he billed Medicaid hundreds of thousands of dollars for teeth fillings he never actually performed.

Robert Rouzaud, 59, the owner of Five Points Dental Centre, allegedly submitted fraudulent claims worth approximately $408,000 between 2009 and 2015, for which he was paid a minimum of $343,000.

According to the charging documents, Rouzaud billed for several fillings on the same teeth though he never provided them.

Some of these fillings were even for teeth that had previously been pulled, while others were for patients who had dentures.

This was not Rouzaud’s first dance with illegal billing practices. Accused of billing Medicaid for unnecessary teeth restorations in 2003, he settled a lawsuit by the US Justice Department for $15,000.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has been investigating Rouzaud since 2014.

After an office raid in June and interviews with patients, Rouzaud’s office was reported as “ragged” and none of his instruments he used were sterile. Patients reportedly complained it was difficult to schedule appointments.

Rouzaud’s license was suspended for 30 days in August 2002 for not properly sterilizing his dental instruments and not wearing a chin-length face shield mask and eyewear.

He was also suspended for 120 days in 2005 for issues regarding diagnoses and questionable Medicaid billing.

However, his license is currently active.

Rouzaud faces one count of healthcare fraud but as the charge was filed in criminal information, a plea agreement is potentially forthcoming.

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Federal authorities say a Cleveland dentist routinely billed Medicaid for procedures he never performed.

Cleveland Dentist Charged With $400,000 Medicaid Fraud

The former Oklahoma oral surgeon whose unsanitary clinics led to a national firestorm and forced thousands of patients to undergo HIV and hepatitis tests is now charged with money laundering.

According to a federal court filing, W. Scott Harrington allegedly laundered money by defrauding Medicaid while practicing in 2012.

Harrington’s two Tulsa-area clinics were shut down in March 2013 when state officials urged current and former dental patients to get tested for the diseases because of filthy conditions.

State health inspectors discovered rusty instruments, potentially contaminated drug vials, and improper use of sterilization tools.

A total of 4,202 patients were tested at state clinics, 89 of which had hepatitis C, five had hepatitis B, and four had HIV.

Upon investigation, health officials found Harrington responsible for the first transmission of hepatitis C between patients in a dental office in the US.

Harrington forfeited his professional license in 2014.

After investigating Harrington’s Medicaid billing for more than two years already, prosecutors alleged that he deposited into his account more than $15,000 of Medicaid funds from fraudulent billing for services between January and June 2012.

The court filing also claimed that Harrington issued a $15,000 check from his account payable to W.S. Harrington LLC, another entity Harrington controlled.

If convicted, Harrington could face up to a 10-year prison sentence, a $250,000 fine, or twice the amount of the criminally derived property.

An oral surgeon who made national headlines after authorities discovered "filthy" conditions at his practice is now facing money laundering charges.

Two Years After Forfeiting License, Former Oklahoma Oral Surgeon Charged with Money Laundering

The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners is investigating the death of a 14-month-old girl who died last month after going under anesthesia for dental procedures.

During a routine cavity-filling procedure at Austin Children’s Dentistry, Daisy Lynn Torres stopped breathing while under anesthesia.

Torres was immediately rushed to North Austin Medical Center where she was pronounced dead five hours later.

From minor dental work to dead mere hours later, Torres’s mom, Betty Squire, wanted answers.

 Torres’s first check-up was at six months. The dentist initially said her daughter would need to get two cavities filled.

However, after already beginning the procedure, the dentist told Squire that the young child would need more extensive work — six crowns.

Then, 10 minutes later, the dentist admitted something went wrong, and the baby went into cardiac arrest.

According to Sarah Marshall, a spokeswoman for Austin Children’s Dentistry, an anesthesiologist was with the dentist in the room with Torres.

Officials at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) issued a statement responding to the tragedy.

The AAPD recommends treatment of dental decay in young children, and its 

 clear the use of general anesthesia in patients who might be too young to remain still during procedures. 

Officials are investigating whether proper procedures were followed in the case of a toddler who died following a dental procedure in Texas.

Toddler Dies During Routine Cavity-Filling Procedure

Congress introduced a new bill that would help healthcare practices accused of fraud possibly keep receiving Medicaid payments while their cases are reviewed.

Medicaid Program Integrity Enhancement Act of 2016

, lawmakers was to establish criteria so the US Department of Health & Human Services can’t freeze Medicaid payments to providers simply because the provider is accused of fraud.

Although the bill would pertain to providers in all areas, this could significantly impact dentists.

, the legislation would have benefitted several Texas orthodontists who were accused of dental Medicaid fraud for dental and orthodontic treatment of children in 2011.

Some even went bankrupt from lack of payment while awaiting resolutions for their cases.

According to its sponsors, the Medicaid Due Process Integrity Act would:

1. Prevent unnecessary payment suspensions by requiring a Medicaid agency to consult with a state attorney general on the credibility of allegations prior to suspending payments.

2. Protect beneficiary access to care by requiring a state to consider the impact a payment suspension may have on beneficiary access to care, prior to withholding payments.

3. Guarantee due process of law by requiring states to cease payment suspensions where an investigation has ended after 18 months.

4. Require states to create an appeal process for providers to challenge charges against them.

However, as the law was just introduced, it is not yet known whether or when the bill could become law.

A new bill introduced in Congress would help healthcare providers continue to receive Medicaid payments while fraud allegations are investigated. 

New Bill Could Protect Payments to Providers Accused of Medicaid Fraud

Authorities are considering whether to press charges after a newborn infant was dropped off at a Stockbridge, GA dentist’s office early Sunday morning.

, a 17-year-old male student told the dispatchers, “I would like to report a baby at the Davis Family Dentistry across from the emergency ambulance entrance at Piedmont Medical. This is not a joke. Please go. Hurry.”

First responders found the infant unharmed around 5 a.m., and reported he was likely born two to three hours prior to the 911 call.

 to 11Alive News, police said, “The mother was located, young teenager, and is being treated at a medical facility. The case may be presented to the appropriate court to determine charges. Our priority is the welfare of the baby boy and mother.”

It was not known whether the 17-year-old 911 caller was related to the mother or baby.

, a child’s mother can leave her newborn, up to seven days old, with an employee of any medical facility without facing legal ramifications.

A dental office is not considered a medical facility under the law. However, in this case the dentist’s office was located next to a hospital. It is not known how the location of the drop-off will be taken into account when determining whether to press charges.

The co-founder of The Hope Box, a legal baby safe haven in Georgia, told 11Alive News she believes Georgia’s safe haven law is the weakest in the US.

Meanwhile, detectives are slated to meet with appropriate prosecutors to determine whether any charges would be filed.

A teenager appeared to be attempting to abide by the state's Safe Haven law when he left a newborn outside a dentist's office. 

Baby Abandoned Outside Georgia Dentist's Office

 to shipping up to 30 pounds of marijuana monthly to New York City.

Weitz, 63, ran Mission Dental Health in San Francisco, CA.

Weitz was believed to have taken over the pot operation for his son, Joshua Weitz, who was arrested and pleaded guilty for second-degree criminal sale of marijuana and is currently serving a year-long sentence at Rikerâ€™s Island.

Prosecutors say the elder Weitz was making nearly $100,000 each month trafficking the drugs to New York.

Police arrested Weitz last October after seizing 11 vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana and cash in Yonkers, NY.

 from the New York Daily News, the dentistâ€™s drug operation allegedly involved stashing large amounts of his supply at staff lockers at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Lincoln Houses.

 on his website, Weitz gave dental tips to pot patients. He claimed pot users face special dental issues and recommended they get extra exams.Â 

â€œWe are encouraging cannabis users and smokers and those who do it together to see the dentist more often, because theyâ€™re more likely to have improved periodontal health if they do,â€ Weitz said in a YouTube 

 to receive three yearsâ€™ probation when heâ€™s sentenced in Manhattan Supreme Court next month.

A San Francisco dentist allegedly took over his son's marijuana distribution business. 

California Dentist Pleads Guilty After Arrest for Cross-Country Marijuana Shipment

Alexander Emil Ross, a former Austin dentist who spent nearly two decades on the run from authorities before finally being arrested in Panama last year, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for assaulting a young patient.

 in 1998 with multiple accounts: aggravated sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child by sexual contact, attempted indecency with a child, and practicing dentistry without a license.

According to a report in the Statesman, Ross was the president of a corporation that owned dental centers serving low-income patients in Travis County, Austin, TX.

He mainly practiced dentistry in the south and southeast part of the city.

Police said two of Ross’s victims, young girls ages 9 and 12, accused him of inappropriately touching them during their dentist appointments. One girl 

 Ross paid her $4.55 to keep quiet about the incident.

He fled the country after being formally charged, but was caught in Panama and extradited to the US in 2015.

He faced up to life in prison, and must also be registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Ross pleaded guilty to one account of aggravated sexual assault in court Thursday; he was not convicted on the offenses of indecency.

 the shorter plea-bargained seven-year sentence primarily to Ross’s old age.

His health is currently deteriorating — Ross had suffered two heart attacks while behind bars.

Alexander Emil Ross, a former Austin dentist who spent nearly two decades on the run from authorities, was finally arrested in Panama and sentenced to seven years in prison for assaulting a young patient. 

Fugitive Dentist Gets 7-Year Prison Sentence for Sexual Assault

A Minnesota dentist had his license suspended after his teenage patient died last June during a wisdom teeth extraction procedure.

The Minnesota Board of Dentistry cited “imminent risk of harm” in its decision against Paul Tompach, DDS, PhD, of Edina Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

board’s preliminary investigation found

 that Tompach “Failed to provide appropriate oral surgery care when extracting four wisdom teeth from a patient, failed to appropriately manage a medical emergency, and enabled allied medical personnel (i.e., an unlicensed dental assistant, licensed dental assistant, and student intern) to perform tasks which exceeded the legal scope of practice.”

, the board’s executive director, Bridgett Anderson, said Tompach allegedly allowed a dental assistant who lacked the state-required course work and certification to monitor Sydney Galleger — the 17-year-old patient – as she received anesthesia.

Galleger reportedly went into convulsions during the surgery and was rushed to the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital, where she died June 15.

In September 2015, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner stated Galleger died from “anoxic encephalopathy,” or brain damage from a lack of oxygen triggered from cardiac arrest that occurred during the June dental surgery.

During Tompach’s temporary suspension, he is not allowed to practice as a dentist in the state.

License suspensions against Minnesota dentists are fairly uncommon. According to the order, Tompach’s contested hearing was to be scheduled no later than 30 days after the order was issued on Jan 29. The Star-Tribune reported that Tompach had reached an agreement with regulators, though Anderson did not elaborate on the agreement since it had not yet been finalized.

The suspension period will remain in effect until the board comes to a final agreement.

A Minnesota dentist is facing disciplinary action after regulators say he allowed an unqualified assistant to monitor a patient under anesthesia for a wisdom tooth extraction. The patient died following a cardiac arrest that occurred during the surgery.