Alexander Hollander Continued To Practice Dentistry After Losing License For Medicaid Fraud In 2000; Defendant Could Serve Up To 4 Years In Prison
Noucheline Jean Impersonated Licensed Practical Nurse For 18 Months
Schneiderman: My Office Will Continue To Prosecute Phony Professionals Who Undermine The Integrity Of New York’s Healthcare System
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the separate convictions of former dentist Alexander Hollander, 70, and former Park Nursing Home employee Noucheline Jean, 45, both of Brooklyn, NY for providing patient care as unlicensed medical professionals. On June 7, Hollander was convicted by a Kings County Supreme Court jury of Unauthorized Practice of a Profession (Dentistry) in violation of the New York State Education Law, a Class E Felony. On June 2, Jean was convicted by a Queens County jury for the felony crime of Unauthorized Practice of a Profession (Nursing), and Unauthorized Use of a Professional Title, a misdemeanor.
“My office has zero tolerance for those who purport to be medical professionals but lack the proper licenses to provide patient care,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “We will continue to prosecute phony professionals who undermine the integrity of our healthcare system and put patients at risk.”
In June 2000, Hollander lost the authority to practice dentistry following his conviction for Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and multiple other felonies for Medicaid fraud. However, an investigation conducted by Attorney General Schneiderman revealed that Hollander continued to practiced dentistry at the 7th Avenue Dental Office P.C. located at 5610 7th Avenue, in Brooklyn, NY.
The investigation began when the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) of the Attorney General’s Office, then conducting an internal review of individuals who still owed the State restitution, discovered that Hollander was working at the 7thAvenue Dental Office and had advertised an open dentist position at that location. At the time of the review, Hollander still owed the State over $140,000 in restitution from the 2000 conviction.
The MFCU subsequently sent an undercover investigator posing as a patient into Hollander’s office on April 19, 2013. The undercover investigator complained of tooth pain and asked Hollander if he was a dentist, to which Hollander replied that he was and provided the investigator with a business card that listed his professional title as Clinical Director and Doctor of Dental Surgery.
On May 9, 2013, during a second undercover visit to Hollander’s office, the defendant assisted the undercover investigator with paperwork and then told him to wait while he treated another patient. While waiting, the undercover investigator observed the defendant, who was wearing a lab shirt and plastic gloves, treat another patient in an adjoining examining room. The investigator captured the defendant’s conduct on video. Later, the defendant invited the investigator into the same examining room and discussed treatment and x-rays with the investigator. Immediately following a third undercover visit to the defendant’s office on May 30, 2013, the defendant was placed under arrest and subsequently indicted on felony charges.
Hollander faces a maximum of four years in state prison on each count. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on August 15, 2017.
In an unrelated case of unlicensed practice, defendant Noucheline Jean provided medical care to patients at the Park Nursing Home without a license for 18 months. Under the guise that she was a licensed nurse and had recently passed the written Licensed Practical Nurse test, Jean accepted a promotion from her employer. However, Jean had previously been informed by the New York State Office of the Professions that she would not be issued a license because she had not satisfied significant requirements.
Defendant Jean is scheduled to be sentenced on August 4, 2017.
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