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Last updated on Thursday, April 3, 2014
(INDIANAPOLIS) - Criminal charges have been filed against employees of an Anderson dentist office months after the clinic was ordered to close.
Nine people involved in Anderson Dental Center Inc. in Madison County are facing charges of various crimes, including Medicaid fraud and operating without proper licenses, officials announced Wednesday.
The nine accused employees and the charges against them are:
Sally Metzner, 57, of Anderson (owner): racketeering, money laundering, Medicaid fraud, theft, forgery and practicing dentistry without a license
Paul Pangallo, 73, of Indianapolis (dentist): racketeering, money laundering, Medicaid fraud, theft
Jeffrey Rich, 69, of Cicero (dentist): racketeering, money laundering, Medicaid fraud, theft
Thomas Dubois, 46, of Indianapolis (dentist): racketeering, money laundering, Medicaid fraud, theft
Jessica (Metzner) Worrell, 27, of Anderson (office employee): racketeering, forgery
Beth Flynn-Lohrey, 45, of Middletown (office employee): racketeering, prescription drug fraud
Chris Martin, 31, of Anderson (office employee): racketeering, prescription drug fraud
Barbara Brooks, 62, of Anderson (office employee): racketeering, forgery
Deborah R. Davis, 55, of Middletown (office employee): prescription drug fraud
According to court documents, the defendants have been receiving overpayments from Medicaid since 2006.
For example, according to prosecutors, clinic staff routinely submitted Medicaid claims for "deep sedation," which is a $125 reimbursement, when the clinic was only entitled to a $30 reimbursement for nitrous oxide.
Anderson Dental Center has stolen more than $300,000 from the Medicaid program in all, court documents say.
The Indiana State Board of Dentistry voted to issue a cease and desist order against the clinic in December.
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) has terminated the Medicaid provider status of Pangallo and indefinitely suspended payments for Rich, meaning they can't receive Medicaid compensation but they can still practice dentistry.
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