A Connecticut dentist has agreed to pay more than $600,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the federal and state False Claims Acts.
Lakshmi Bethi, DMD, allegedly paid recruiters for each Medicaid patient that was referred to her practice whenever the patient received services above routine preventative care, according to a Jan. 7 news release from the Department of Justice. She then submitted claims for these services to the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program.
To resolve the allegations, Dr. Bethi and her former businesses agreed to pay $608,296.39 to reimburse the Medicaid program.
In a related federal case, Dr. Bethi pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the federal anti-kickback statute. She admitted to paying patient recruiters more than $360,000 in kickbacks between 2016 and 2023. She was sentenced Dec. 18 to two years of probation and was ordered to forfeit $500,000.