Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Northern District of Ohio

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Cleveland dentist sentenced to year in prison, ordered to pay $344,000 for healthcare fraud

A Cleveland dentist was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to pay nearly $344,000 in restitution for fraudulently billing Medicaid for more work that not authorized or never done, said Carole S. Rendon, law enforcement officials said.

Robert Rouzaud, 60, was previously found guilty of healthcare fraud.

He operated Five Points Dental Centre on East 152nd Street. Rouzaud submitted claims on behalf of Medicaid recipients for services that were not pre-authorized, as required, and/or not provided. This took place between 2009 and 2015, according to court documents.

For example, Rouzaud billed for an excessive number of fillings on the same teeth, when he had not done fillings, filed claims for fillings on teeth that had been previously extracted, and submitted claims for fillings on patients who had dentures, according to court documents.

Rouzaud submitted false claims totaling $407,982 for services he did not provide between 2009 and 2015. He was paid nearly $344,000 for these services, according to court documents.

“This dentist’s fraudulent actions were egregious, and he deserves to go to prison for stealing from taxpayers,” U.S. Attorney Carole S. Rendon said.

“Robert Rouzaud stole money from a federal health care program intended to assist the most vulnerable in our society, the disabled and the poor, and today he paid the price for those actions,” said Lamont Pugh III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Chicago Region. “HHS/OIG and our law enforcement partners will work tirelessly root out those providers who ‎steal from the Medicaid program.”

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Collyer following an investigation by the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services -- Office of Inspector General and the Ohio Attorney General's Office.