Wisconsin dentist, 60, is accused of BREAKING patients' teeth with his drill so he could bill insurance companies more than $2m for crown procedures
Scott Charmoli, 60, a dentist from Grafton, Wisconsin, has been indicted by the federal government for allegedly defrauding insurance companies and patients
A Wisconsin dentist is accused of damaging his patients' teeth on purpose with a drill so that he could bill insurance companies for unnecessary crown procedures over a three-year period and pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Scott Charmoli, 60, of Grafton, was charged Tuesday in federal court with eight counts of health care fraud and two counts of false statements.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Charmoli is accused of falsely telling patients that they needed crowns and then using his drill to break off parts of their teeth during the procedure.
The indictment alleges that Charmoli caused 'permanent disfigurement and serious bodily injury' to his unwitting patients.
Charmoli then submitted X-rays and photographs of the chipped teeth to insurance companies to obtain coverage for the crowns, the indictment says.
Federal prosecutors said that the companies that Charmoli submitted the claims to are Delta Dental, United Healthcare and Optum.
DailyMail.com has sought comment from the insurance firms.
Authorities say Charmoli performed more than $2million worth of crown procedures between January 2018 and August 2019.
Charmoli is accused of intentionally damaging patients' teeth so that he would need to perform crown procedures and then bill health insurance companies for the unnecessary work
Charmoli is accused of falsely telling patients that they needed crowns and then using his drill to break off parts their teeth during the procedure. The first page of the indictment is seen above
The indictment alleges that Charmoli caused 'permanent disfigurement and serious bodily injury' to his unwitting patients
Charmoli then submitted X-rays and photographs of the chipped teeth to insurance companies to obtain coverage for the crowns, the indictment says
During that period, Charmoli conducted a total of more than 1,600 crown procedures over a 20-month period that were medically unnecessary, the federal government alleges.
That amounts to more than 80 crown procedures per month.
Though insurance companies typically do not pay for the full procedure, Charmoli was able to recover a significant amount of money, authorities say.
Between January 2016 and June 2018, Charmoli allegedly submitted $745,570 worth of claims to Delta Dental. Of that sum, Charmoli was paid $318,600.98, according to the indictment.
Between January 2019 and July 2019, Charmoli allegedly submitted claims to Delta Dental totaling $352,935. He received $114,294.35, according to the indictment.
Amounts not covered by insurance were paid out of pocket by patients, the federal government said.
The indictment lists eight specific crown procedures that federal prosecutors allege were performed fraudulently. Three of those procedures were said to have been performed on one patient.
Charmoli appears in several commercials for Jackson Family Dentistry in Jackson, Wisconsin. The commercials from 2015 and 2016 could be seen on the internet
Charmoli's attorney, Nila Robinson, did not immediately respond to an email message left Thursday by The Associated Press.
An arraignment and plea hearing are scheduled for December 30.
Jackson Family Dentistry told WISN-TV that Charmoli left the practice in August of 2019.
The clinic still has old commercials from 2015 and 2016 on YouTube that feature Charmoli.
'We are one team, focused on you and your dental health,' Charmoli says in one of the commercials.
'Don't let your insurance company make you feel like a number in a big box dental office,' he says.
The US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin is urging other patients of Charmoli who believe they may have been victimized to come forward.
'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,' US Attorney Matthew Krueger said in a statement.
The US Attorney's Office is encouraging those who believe they may have been defrauded by Charmoli to contact public information officer Kenneth Gales at Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov or 414-297-1700.