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Press Release

Press Release  Additional Charges Brought Against Boston Dental Manager, Including Prescription And Credit Card Fraud

Arraignment Scheduled for Tomorrow, Tuesday, December 17, at 9:00AM in Suffolk County Superior Court
For immediate release:
12/16/2024
  • Office of the Attorney General

Media Contact   for Additional Charges Brought Against Boston Dental Manager, Including Prescription And Credit Card Fraud

Sabrina Zafar , Deputy Press Secretary

BOSTON — The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has announced additional indictments against Fritz Gabriel, manager of the Boston-based dental practice Forest Hills Dental (Forest Hills), related to unauthorized issuance of prescriptions and unauthorized use of a patient’s credit card. The indictments follow initial May 2024 indictments announced by the AGO against both Gabriel and Forest Hills related to Medicaid fraud, larceny, unlicensed practice of dentistry, and assault and battery.  

On December 12, 2024, Gabriel, age 69, of Milton, was indicted by a Suffolk County Grand Jury with one count of Unlawful Use of a Registration Number, under M.G.L. c. 94C, § 33, and one count of Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card, under M.G.L. c. 266, § 37C.

An arraignment on the charges is scheduled for 9:00am tomorrow, Tuesday, December 17, 2024, in the Magistrate’s Session (Courtroom 705) of Suffolk County Superior Court.

The AGO alleges that Gabriel, in addition to falsely representing himself as a licensed dentist, issued prescriptions, including ones for controlled substances such as Percocet and Hydrocodone, using the registration number and credentials of a dentist without that dentist’s knowledge or authorization. Under state law, only licensed dentists are authorized to issue prescriptions to dental patients, and dentists are prohibited from allowing any other dental professionals, including dental assistants, to issue prescriptions. 

The AGO further alleges that Gabriel fraudulently utilized a patient’s credit card to make more than $6,000 in unauthorized purchases, including $5,000 in charges for Forest Hills. The AGO’s investigation indicates that Gabriel instructed and helped the patient open the credit card but then began to utilize the credit card without the patient’s knowledge or consent. 

The initial May 2024 indictments, brought by the AGO, allege that Forest Hills and Gabriel fraudulently billed MassHealth for dental services that were never provided and/or were required to be provided by a licensed dentist, but were unlawfully provided by Gabriel. The charges also allege that Gabriel, despite not being a licensed dentist, performed an extraction on a MassHealth member that left an exposed root in her mouth. The May 2024 indictments are currently pending in Suffolk County Superior Court. 

All of the charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.  

This matter is being handled by Assistant Attorneys General Sean Hildenbrandt and Heidi Gosule, and Investigator Kathleen Tansey, all of the AG’s Medicaid Fraud Division, with assistance from Inspector Yves Charles of the AGO’s Fair Labor Division.

This matter is the AGO’s most recent effort to hold accountable those who misuse roles of authority or public trust, including within the dental industry and through abuse of the state’s Medicaid program, MassHealth. In June 2024, the AGO announced indictments against a Worcester-based dentist and practice in a $2 million Medicaid fraud and larceny scheme that involved billing for dental services that were never provided. Additionally, in March 2024, the AGO announced indictments against a Falmouth dentist and dental practice for submitting nearly $200,000 in false claims to MassHealth for services that were not provided and/or for services that were required to be performed by a dentist but were not.    

The AGO’s Medicaid Fraud Division is a Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, annually certified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate and prosecute health care providers who defraud the state’s Medicaid program, MassHealth. The Medicaid Fraud Division also has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute complaints of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of residents in long-term care facilities and of Medicaid patients in any health care setting.  Individuals may file a Medicaid/MassHealth fraud complaint or report cases of abuse or neglect of Medicaid patients or long-term care residents by visiting the AGO’s website.

The Massachusetts Medicaid Fraud Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $5,922,320 for federal fiscal year 2025. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,974,102 for FY 2025, is funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

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