A woman in Florida is accused of using unauthorized dental practices to run a $11.2 million fraud operation, according to a Jan. 7 report from CBS 12 News.
Evelyn Cruz and her husband allegedly opened multiple dental practices using the names of licensed dentists. Ms. Cruz did pay one licensed dentist a total of more than $60,000 to use his name over the course of two years, even though he never worked at her practices.
From 2012 to 2019, Ms. Cruz opened four dental practices across Florida. The couple collected about $11.2 million in insurance proceeds from the practices.
The scheme was uncovered when CareOne Dental purchased the Boynton Beach, Fla., practice in August 2021. The company found that more than 80 patients had been defrauded.
The Florida Department of Financial Services, Bureau of Insurance Fraud started an investigation in August 2021 when multiple patients of Ms. Cruz's practices reported being improperly billed.
Officials claimed that they intend to seize a home purchased by Ms. Cruz and her husband using funds from the practices, the cash found in safes, a cashier's check for $400,000 and nine associated bank accounts.
Ms. Cruz has been accused of 18 counts of insurance fraud of $100,000 or more, 10 counts of insurance fraud of more than $20,000 but less than $100,000, 10 counts of theft from persons aged 65 or older, six counts of insurance fraud of less than $20,000, four counts of proprietorship by non-dentists, one count of organized scheme to defraud $50,000 or more and one count of grand theft of $20,000 or more, the report said.