Suleman Nasimi Billed Medicaid for Invasive Dental Procedures That Never Happened, Preventing New Yorkers in Need from Getting Treatment
New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the arrest of Queens dentist Suleman Nasimi for stealing more than $300,000 from Medicaid by billing for hundreds of dental procedures he never performed. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) found that Nasimi, 46, of Hicksville, Nassau County, allegedly submitted false claims to Medicaid for dental procedures he never performed, even billing Medicaid for procedures conducted on the same days he was on vacation in Europe. The OAG’s investigation alleges that from January 1, 2020 through August 31, 2024, Nasimi, through his practice Tooth Fresh Meadows, claimed that he performed hundreds of procedures, including root canals and porcelain crown installations, even though none of them ever happened. As a result, several of his patients were allegedly unable to get the dental treatment they needed because Medicaid records reflected that they had already received the procedure that Nasimi billed for but never performed. Nasimi was arrested and charged today with 40 crimes.
“Fraudsters who steal from Medicaid with fake billing schemes put vulnerable New Yorkers at risk by making it harder for them to get the care they need,” said Attorney General James. “All New Yorkers deserve quality dental care, and my office will not tolerate dentists who put personal greed before their patients. We will continue to ensure that Medicaid fraudsters are held accountable and criminally prosecuted when they break the law.”
The OAG charged Nasimi for submitting false claims for dental procedures that were never performed on at least 35 Medicaid recipients between January 2020 and August 2024. In July 2022 alone, Nasimi is alleged to have billed for over $140,000 worth of procedures during periods when his office was closed and he was away on vacation in England, France, and Greece. This false billing scheme allowed Nasimi, through his Tooth Fresh Meadows practice, to steal more than $300,000 from Medicaid.
Several of Nasimi’s patients were unable to receive the dental care they needed because Medicaid had accepted Nasimi’s false claims for procedures that he never performed. When these patients went to other dentists for procedures, they were denied prior approval for their dental care because Medicaid had already paid Nasimi for those procedures.
Nasimi and Tooth Fresh Meadows were arraigned today on two separate 40-count felony complaints before Judge Jennifer Saint-Preux. Both Nasimi and his company were charged with one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, two counts of Health Care Fraud in the Second Degree, two counts of Health Care Fraud in the Third Degree, and 35 counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree. If convicted on the top count, Nasimi faces a maximum sentence of five to fifteen years in state prison on the top count.
The charges against the defendant are accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The OAG thanks the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG), for its valuable assistance in this investigation. The OAG also thanks DentaQuest for its assistance.
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