A California dentist and two of her employees were sentenced for defrauding the state Medi-Cal program of nearly $800,000.
Magaly Mercedes Velasquez, DDS, was the owner of U-First Dental in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Dr. Velasquez received reimbursement for each day of service billed rather than for the individual services provided to the patient. However, the practice fraudulently split their services over multiple days on their claims to maximize reimbursement from Medi-Cal, according to a July 22 news release from the California Office of the Attorney General.
Dr. Velasquez and her spouse, Maria Jose Talavera, who served as an office manager, were sentenced to 364 days in jail. They must also pay $770,238 in restitution. Jessica Monique Perez, the practice's billing manager, was also sentenced to two years of probation.