The “Tooth Fairy Heist” case in Miami-Dade County, where five individuals were arrested for allegedly taking part in a $1.3 million insurance fraud scheme, appears over as all charges have been dropped against the accused, but could the case be opened in Duval County?
Now a letter has been sent to State Attorney Melissa Nelson in Florida’s 4th Judicial Circuit notifying her of the possible involvement of Jacksonville dentist Dr. Howard Fetner, in the Miami-Dade fraud case.
Tallahassee-based Attorney William Spicola, who in the letter states that he represents four dentists and potential witnesses of Medicaid fraud by ACPDO Management, Inc., the company that handled the billing services for the dentists.
According to Spicola’s letter, the dentists— Dr. Christina Puig, Dr. Alejandra Sanchez, and Dr. Dayrys Tejeda—were all allegedly fired by Dr. Fetner as a “penalty for reporting that their billing codes were being improperly used by their former employer, ACPDO Management, Inc. without their consent.”
“Our clients believe their termination was the penalty for reporting that their billing codes were being improperly used by their former employer, ACPDO Management, Inc. without their consent. Drs. Puig, Sanchez, and Tejeda has never had any contact with Dr. Fetner before he terminated them for reporting billing fraud. Moreover, public records obtained from the Office of Financial Services’ investigation into these Medicaid billing frauds indicate multiple legal violations related to Dr. Fetner’s involvement in the scheme,” stated Spicola in his letter.
The findings from a recent investigation by The Department of Financial Services, show that Dr. Fetner violated several statutes, include one that charges him of “False and fraudulent insurance claims," accusing him of committing $2.2 million in fraud
Spicola reiterates that his clients are willing to work with her office to address Fetner’s alleged misconduct.
We reached out to SA Nelson's office for comment but were not able to reach anyone.
This story is developing...
