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Pines dental practice owner sentenced in $11M fraud scheme. Here are 5 takeaways

By Pembroke Pines News Archives, with AI summarization
A Broward County dental practice owner has entered a plea in a multimillion-dollar insurance fraud case involving offices in major South Florida cities, including Pembroke Pines.
A Broward County dental practice owner has entered a plea in a multimillion-dollar insurance fraud case involving offices in major South Florida cities, including Pembroke Pines. Getty Images | Royalty Free Getty Images/iStockphoto

A Broward County dental practice owner has pleaded no contest in a multimillion-dollar insurance fraud case involving several South Florida offices.

The case revealed that the dental practices were operated without a license, leading to significant fraudulent insurance claims.

FULL STORY: $11 million dental fraud scheme included Pembroke Pines office, court records show

Google maps screen grab of the Dental Specialists of Pembroke Pines office, located at 12558 Pines Blvd.
Google maps screen grab of the Dental Specialists of Pembroke Pines office, located at 12558 Pines Blvd. Courtesy of Google Maps

Here are the highlights:

  • Evelyn Cruz, 43, pleaded no contest to grand theft and operating as a non-dentist, resulting in a 28-day jail sentence and 48 months of probation.
  • Her dental practices, located in major South Florida cities, fraudulently billed insurance companies over $11 million since 2012.
  • Cruz hired a licensed dentist to front her operations while she managed the business, submitting claims for services she was not qualified to provide.
  • The investigation began in August 2021 after complaints of insurance billing for unreceived treatments, uncovering a complex fraud scheme.
  • The Florida Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case, highlighting the impact on 80 patients, including 17 seniors, with various fraudulent billing practices.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in the Pembroke Pines News newsroom. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by Pembroke Pines News journalists.

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