Dr. Scott Charmoli, 60, has been accused of intentionally damaging his patients’ teeth in a $2 million insurance fraud scheme Tuesday, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release.
Charmoli was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday for allegedly advising his patients to undergo a crown procedure, intentionally harming their teeth during the process, according to a statement from the DOJ.
Charmoli would submit x-rays of the damaged teeth to insurance companies, allegedly in hopes of obtaining insurance coverage for the crowns, per the DOJ. (RELATED: Dentist Under Probe After Pulling Patients Tooth While Riding Hoverboard)
“The indictment asserts that by submitting x-rays and photographs of teeth he had purposefully altered, Charmoli made materially false and fraudulent statements to insurance companies in connection with the delivery of, and payment for, health care benefits,” the DOJ statement stated.
The indictment claims Charmoli’s fraudulent crown procedures racked up over $2,000,000 between January 1, 2018 and August 7, 2019, according to the DOJ. In total, Charmoli allegedly performed over 80 corrupt procedures each month, Fox 6 Milwaukee reported.
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Matthew Kruger, said that the DOJ “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,” according to the DOJ statement.