GRAFTON — A Grafton dentist was charged in federal court for allegedly damaging patients' teeth on purpose so that he could bill insurance companies for crown procedures.
Scott Charmoli, 60, was charged with Health Care Fraud and False Statements Relating to Health Care Matters on Tuesday. If found guilty, he could spend up to 20 years behind bars and face up to $250,000 in fines.
The Department of Justice says that starting around Jan. 1, 2016, Charmoli began a scheme where he falsely advised patients they needed crowns. During crown procedures, Charmoli purposely damaged the patients' teeth, the DOJ states. He then allegedly submitted x-rays and photographs of the damaged teeth to insurance companies, so that he could get insurance coverage for the crowns.
According to the indictment, Charmoli performed over $2 million worth of crown procedures between Jan. 1 of 2018 and Aug. 7 and 2019.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States attorneys Julie F. Stewart and Michael A. Carter will prosecute the case, according to the DOJ in a statement Wednesday.
“The Justice Department focuses on prosecuting health care fraud not only to protect health care funds but also to protect patients who entrust their well being to providers,” said United States Attorney Krueger in the statement.
