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Former Pennsylvania Dentist Pleads Guilty to Medicaid Fraud

October 1, 2012 — Dentist Kristi Ayn Liebau-Grassi has pleaded guilty to felony charges that she billed the Pennsylvania Medicaid Program for procedures that were medically unnecessary or that were not actually provided. If the case had gone to trial, Dr. Liebau-Grassi would have faced many of her former patients and their parents in court. The alleged fraud occurred between 2008 and 2011, while Dr. Liebau-Grassi was practicing in Lawrence Park Township.

Dr. Liebau-Grassi will pay restitution of $289,000, according to GoErie.com. When she is sentenced in February 2013, she could face as much as 18 months in federal prison. She is free pending her sentencing and thus far retains her Pennsylvania dental license. She now lives in Sugar Land, Texas, outside Houston.

Investigators allegedly uncovered evidence that Dr.Liebau-Grassi defrauded Medicaid by billing for unnecessary work, billing for more expensive work than was actually performed, and billing for work she did not perform — sometimes on teeth that didn’t even exist. Dr. Liebau-Grassi also billed Medicaid for so many procedures that she could not have performed them all in the available time. For example, she claimed to have performed 16 baby root canals, installed 16 crowns and completed four composite fillings — all in 17 minutes of surgery.

Authorities Rely on Whistleblowers to Fight Medicaid Dental Fraud

 

Federal authorities rely heavily on information provided by whistleblowers to identify and prosecute Medicaid dental fraud. To recognize and reward their contribution, the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act provide that whistleblowers can file suit on behalf of the government and receive a portion of any money that is recovered in the lawsuit.

Waters & Kraus’ attorneys have the experience to work with whistleblowers. Contact us or call our whistleblower attorneys at 800.226.9880 to learn more about our practice and how we can assist.

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