A 41-year-old woman from Dearborn has been charged with 15 felonies over an alleged Medicaid fraud scheme involving dental crowns that were never provided to patients.
Lina Abraham was arraigned on Wednesday, September 23, in the 54B District Court in East Lansing after being accused of submitting repeated claims to the taxpayer-funded programme while working as an office manager at Dearborn Family Smiles.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office said the alleged billing was carried out under the clinic’s former name, Artistic Dentistry. Investigators believe Abraham acted alone and do not suspect other people connected with the dental practice were involved.
Alleged Medicaid fraud scheme
Abraham faces one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
She is also charged with 14 counts of Medicaid fraud. Each count carries a potential sentence of up to four years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $50,000.
The case was referred to the Michigan Department of Attorney General by Delta Dental and is being handled by the department’s Health Care Fraud Division, the state’s federally certified Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
“Medicaid provides access to health care for millions of Americans,” Ms Nessel said. “It is a vital resource for family health all across Michigan, and my office is specifically entrusted to defend the state and federal programme from fraud.”
Abraham is due to appear for a probable cause conference before the 54B District Court on October 2. The charges are allegations, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
