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TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced
that a New Jersey woman has earned a $3,750
reward for reporting the fraudulent billing
practices of a Plainsboro dentist. The presentation
of the reward was one of many events marking
October as “Insurance Fraud Awareness
Month.”
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, a concerned New Jersey resident called
the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
hotline on December 14, 2004 and reported
that Dr. Gary Reba, a Plainsboro dentist,
was engaging in insurance fraud by submitting
false claims.
A
subsequent criminal investigation by the
Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor revealed
that Dr. Reba, in submitting claims, falsified
the dates on which he provided services
to patients. The investigation determined
that if Reba had billed for the dates he
actually rendered the dental services, the
patients would not have had dental insurance
coverage or would have already exceeded
the limits of their dental insurance for
that given year. Dr. Reba pleaded guilty
on April 27, 2007 to theft by deception
and falsifying records. On June 22, Dr.
Reba was sentenced to three years probation
by Superior Court Judge Frederick P. DeVesa
in Middlesex County and was ordered to pay
a $75,000 civil insurance fraud fine.
The
reward is the first to be granted under
the OIFP Reward Program, which was established
by the New Jersey Legislature on June 9,
2003. A reward is available to a person
who provides a tip if there is no existing
investigation concerning the reported information
and the information leads to a criminal
conviction. The recipient of this reward
asked to remain anonymous. “
The
OIFP Reward Program provides a valuable
incentive for members of the public to come
forward and assist law enforcement,”
said Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Brown. “The
Legislature saw the importance of providing
this incentive to help fight the ongoing
war against insurance fraud.”People
with information about insurance fraud can
report it anonymously by calling the toll-free
hotline 1-877-55-FRAUD
or visiting the Web site www.NJInsuranceFraud.org.
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