By SDCN Editor
San Diego, CA–A southern California dentist, along with five employees of his dental practice, was charged Thursday with a fraudulent billing scheme that allegedly defrauded the state Medi-Cal program of nearly $900,000, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced.
Bonta filed criminal charges against the dentist, Husam Aldairi, and his employees, Rawaa Attar, Lilyan Krikorian, Inci Narin, Laith Alani, and Fadi Shammas, have been charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and Medi-Cal fraud, both felonies.
“When providers defraud Medi-Cal, it not only undermines the integrity of the program, but it also poses a significant threat to the patients who rely on its critical services for their health and well-being,” said Attorney General Bonta. “At the California Department of Justice, we will continue to hold accountable those who perpetuate Medi-Cal fraud. We must ensure that the program remains reliable and accessible in providing quality healthcare to those who need it most.”
Aldairi’s clinics contracted with Borrego Community Health Foundation, a Federally Qualified Health Center that serves Medi-Cal patients, to provide dental services to underserved populations and communities. Aldairi was entitled to reimbursement for each patient visit, rather than the specific services performed. However, Aldairi allegedly fraudulently billed for services that were either not rendered, or not rendered over multiple days, as was claimed to maximize profit from Medi-Cal reimbursements. Aldairi and his employees allegedly fraudulently billed more than $847,000 between 2016 and 2020.
If convicted of all charges, the defendants face 2 to five years in prison.