Global Navigation
Office of The Attorney General
The State of New Jersey Office of The Attorney General (Dept. of Law & Public Safety) The State of New Jersey NJ Home Services A to Z Departments/Agencies OAG Frequently Asked Questions
Services A to Z Departments/Agencies OAG Frequently Asked Questions
OAG Home
OAG Contact
Back to News Releases
OAG Home Attorney General's Biography
Attorney General's Biography
spacer spacer spacer
 
spacer spacer spacer
spacer spacer spacer
For Immediate Release:  
For Further Information:
spacer spacer spacer
June 12, 2009  

Division of Criminal Justice
609-292-4791

Office of The Attorney General
- Anne Milgram, Attorney General
Division of Criminal Justice
- Deborah L. Gramiccioni, Director
Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
- Greta Gooden Brown, Insurance Fraud Prosecutor

spacerspacer spacer spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer

Monmouth County Dentist and His Office Manager Charged with Conspiracy and Medicaid Fraud

spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer

TRENTON - Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni announced that a Monmouth County dentist, his office manager and his dental practice were charged in an eleven-count state grand jury indictment for fraudulent billing Medicaid and for making patients responsible for loans for which they did not apply.

According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden Brown, Marc Weber, 43, of Red Bank, a licensed dentist, his office manager, Jennifer Barbers, 39, of Manalapan, and Weber’s dental practice, Whitehouse Dental Office, P.A. (d/b/a Weber Dental Associates), located on Broad Street in Red Bank, were variously charged with second-degree conspiracy and second-degree health care claims fraud, as well as Medicaid fraud, theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking, and theft of identity, all in the third-degree. The indictment was returned yesterday and filed in court today.

The indictment alleges that between Jan. 1, 2004, and June 30, 2008, Weber and Barbers, who are now married to each other, stole more than $3,565 from Medicaid for services that were never rendered and/or completed. According to the indictment, Weber and Barbers regularly instructed another employee who handled the billing for the dental practice, to submit claims to Medicaid for pre-approved work prior to the completion of the pre-approved work. Barbers instructed the same employee to submit claims to Medicaid for a patient’s entire treatment plan on the patient’s first office visit, even if the patient did not return to the office to complete the treatment. She also allegedly instructed an employee to bill Medicaid for crowns and dentures on the patient’s initial visit rather than when or if the work was completed.

According to the indictment, Barbers allegedly convinced patients to take out loans for dental procedures using specific loan providers, even when the procedures were covered by insurance. She then allegedly processed the loans without the patients’ authorization, and collected payments from the loan providers even if the patients decided not to have the dental work performed. As a result of Barbers’ alleged actions, the patients were responsible for paying back the loans. According to the indictment, Barbers obtained the identifying information of three patients from the loan applications and assumed the identity of those patients in order to obtain the proceeds of the loans. It is alleged that Weber, Barbers and the dental practice fraudulently collected almost $30,000 from the proceeds of these loans.

Detectives Ralph Anilo and Eric Barnes, Civil Investigators Megan Flanagan, Douglas Graham and William Coleman, Analyst Bethany Schussler, and Deputy Attorneys General Linda A. Rinaldi and James Flanagan were assigned to the investigation. Rinaldi and Flanagan presented the case to the state grand jury. Insurance Fraud Prosecutor thanked Captain Stephen McCarthy of the Red Bank Police Department for his assistance in this investigation.

“Abuse of the Medicaid Program and insurance fraud by persons who hold professional licenses are particularly disturbing crimes,” said Prosecutor Brown. “Not only do such Medicaid fraud schemes involve theft of tax dollars, they also represent a theft from a program designed to assist persons who can not afford health insurance or health care services.”

The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Second-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of $150,000, while third-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $15,000. The crime of third-degree Medicaid fraud carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of $10,000.

Prosecutor Brown noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline 1-877-55-FRAUD or visiting the Web site www.njinsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit an award to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.

The Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor was established by the Automobile Insurance Cost Reduction Act of 1998. The office is the centralized state agency that investigates and prosecutes both civil and criminal insurance fraud, as well as Medicaid fraud.

# # #

spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer
 
 
Contact OAG About OAG
OAG News OAG Frequently Asked Questions
OAG Library Employment
OAG Grants Proposed Rules
OAG History OAG Services A-Z
OAG Agencies / Programs / Units
Other News Pages Otras Noticias en Español Division of NJ State Police Division of Law News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Gaming Enforcement News
NJ State Police News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Elections News Division of Gaming Enforcement News Office of Government Integrity News

free PDF plugin

NJ State Police News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Elections News Division of Gaming Enforcement News Office of Government Integrity News
   
Contact Us | Privacy Notice | Legal Statement | Accessibility Statement
NJ Home Logo
Departmental: OAG Home | Contact OAG | About OAG | OAG News | OAG FAQs
Statewide: NJ Home | Services A to Z | Departments/Agencies | FAQs
Copyright © State of New Jersey
This page is maintained by OAG Communications. Comments/Questions: email or call 609-292-4925
OAG Home OAG Home NJ State Police News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Elections News Division of Gaming Enforcement News Office of Government Integrity News