Press Release  Boston-Based Dental Practice And Manager Indicted for Medicaid Fraud, Unlicensed Practice Of Dentistry, And Assault And Battery

Boston — The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has announced indictments against a Boston-based dental practice and its manager in connection with a scheme to defraud the state’s Medicaid program (MassHealth) and engage in the unlicensed practice of dentistry. 

Fritz Gabriel, age 69, of Milton, and Forest Hills Dental (Forest Hills), which Gabriel manages, were indicted by a Suffolk County Grand Jury on May 20, 2024. Gabriel was charged with one count of Medicaid False Claims, under G.L. c. 118E, § 40; one count of Larceny Over $1,200, under G.L. c. 266, § 30; one count of Assault and Battery, under G.L. c. 265, § 13A; and one count of Unlicensed Practice of Dentistry, G.L. c. 112, § 52. Forest Hills was also charged with one count of Medicaid False Claims under G.L. c. 118E, § 40 and one count of Larceny Over $1,200 under G.L. c. 266, § 30. 

The AG’s Office alleges that Gabriel and Forest Hills billed MassHealth for many services, including extractions, root canals, and multi-surface fillings, that were never provided to the MassHealth members as evidenced by subsequent dental examination of those members and/or subsequent x-rays of the teeth at issue. The AG’s Office further determined that Forest Hills billed for dental services provided by Gabriel, who was not a licensed dentist, even though many of the services billed were required to be performed by a licensed dentist. The total amount believed to have been fraudulently obtained from MassHealth as a result of these submissions is approximately $245,000.   

The AG’s Office also alleges that Gabriel, despite not being a licensed dentist, performed an extraction on a MassHealth member that left an exposed root in her mouth, which ultimately required the MassHealth member to need considerable follow-up care. 

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

This case is being handled by Assistant Attorneys General Sean Hildenbrandt and Heidi Gosule, Investigations Supervisor Dean Bates, and Investigator Kathleen Tansey, all of the AGO’s Medicaid Fraud Division, with assistance from Inspector Yves Charles of AGO’s Fair Labor Division. MassHealth, DentaQuest, and the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provided substantial assistance during the investigation.  

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 $5,865,996 for federal fiscal year 2024. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,955,330 for FY 2024, is funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

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