Inland Empire Dentist Sentenced After Defrauding Medi-Cal

INLAND EMPIRE, CA — An Inland Empire dentist and her wife will serve more than a year behind bars and pay nearly $800,000 in restitution for defrauding the state, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced.

Dr. Magaly Mercedes Velasquez and her spouse, Maria Jose Talavera, who worked as an office manager for the couple's U-First Dental practice at 9130 Foothill Boulevard in Rancho Cucamonga, were sentenced Monday in Riverside County Superior Court to 364 days in jail and ordered to pay Medi-Cal restitution of $770,238.

U-First billing manager Jessica Monique Perez was placed on two-years probation for her role in the ploy.

From January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2019, a fraudulent billing scheme was underway at U-First Dental. Velasquez fraudulently split patient services over multiple days on claims for reimbursement in order to maximize her Medi-Cal payout, the AG's office reported.

U-First Dental contracted with Borrego Community Health Foundation, a federally qualified health center that participates in Medi-Cal.

"When dentists like Velasquez defraud Medi-Cal to line their own pockets, they jeopardize the program's ability to provide necessary healthcare services to our most vulnerable patients," Bonta said Monday. "Today's sentencing holds Velasquez and others involved in this fraudulent billing scheme accountable and sends a strong message: The California Department of Justice is committed to safeguarding California's communities and public programs and will not tolerate crimes against them."

The California Department of Justice's Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse prosecuted the case.