Amy Jacob

A formerly licensed California dentist is facing criminal charges after he allegedly drove patients across the border to Tijuana for “low price” illegal dental work.

After his license was revoked in 2005, officials say Robert Mansueto, 63, of Coronado, CA, continued practicing dentistry under an alias: Bob Franco, DDS.

, Mansueto owns a dental company, AmerOss, and worked for a tax consulting company for doctors and dentists. He is accused of recruiting patients for dentists in Tijuana and receiving commissions for his assistance.

Officers allege Mansueto was meeting patients at his Coronado home and driving them to Tijuana. Another dentist would meet them at the Tijuana location to help Mansueto perform dental implant surgery.

Unhappy patients approached the media with “complaints about substandard work”.

 “her mouth became infected and one of her implants fell out”. She also accused Mansueto of piercing one of her sinus cavities.

Two dental board investigators questioned Mansueto after an investigator posed undercover as a patient.

Officials arrested Mansueto at the San Ysidro port of entry and charged him with practicing dentistry under a false name and without a license and treating the sick/afflicted without a certificate. Performing surgery on patients without a medical license is his most serious offense.

Mansueto has pleaded not guilty to all charges — his next hearing is scheduled for July 18.

He is in Central San Diego County Jail, and his bail is set at $200,000.

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Officials say a formerly licensed dentist took a commission in exchange for bringing patients into Mexico for dental implants. 

Unlicensed Dentist Charged With Driving Patients to Tijuana for 'Low-Cost' Dental Care

The city administrator for a small eastern Nebraska city has been cited for three misdemeanors after an altercation in a dental office.

Bellevue, NE, city administrator Dan Berlowitz was arrested last week after allegedly barging into the office of Allan Smith, DDS, at around 8:30 a.m. on June 21.

Smith claims Berlowitz pushed the dentist in the chest and in the shoulder.

Witnesses say Berlowitz “was loud, agitated, and confrontational, and refused to leave after being asked numerous times”.

, Berlowitz apparently screamed at Smith, saying the dentist wrote him a bad check.

KETV also said Berlowitz’s wife used to work at Smith’s office, but was let go.

Berlowitz had been placed on indefinite paid administrative leave. 

, the city issued a press release declining to comment on the matter, except to say, “The reason surrounding his [Berlowitz’s] status is a personnel matter that’s under investigation and will remain confidential”.

According to the KETV, the allegations, if proven true, would violate 12 of the 30 regulations in the city’s code of conduct section.

Berlowitz was charged on three counts of second-degree trespass, disturbing the peace, and third degree assault.

A Nebraska dentist alleges the city administrator barged into his office at the start of business last month and assaulted and berated the dentist.

Nebraska City Official Charged With Assaulting Local Dentist

The owner of a Stamford, CT, dental practice is facing federal charges after she allegedly used stolen identity information to operate a healthcare fraud scheme.

Advanced Dentistry owner Elena Ilizarov, 43, was arrested last week.

The federal complaint against Ilizarov accuses her of fraudulently obtaining a retired dentist’s records back in 2005, and using that information to bill insurance companies for more than $1.1 million through her practice.

“This alleged scheme victimized a retired dentist who had his identity stolen, as well as multiple insurance companies that paid more than a million dollars in fraudulent claims. Healthcare insurance fraud schemes ultimately increase healthcare costs for all of us,” Deirdre Daly, US Attorney for the District of Connecticut said.

If convicted, Ilizarov faces up to 20 years in prison. She has been released on a $500,000 bond contingent on wearing a GPS monitoring device.

According to Daly, the announcement of the arrest was part of a national healthcare fraud takedown, led by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force.

This nationwide sweep of 36 federal districts resulted in criminal and civil charges against 300 people — including 61 doctors, nurses, and other licensed medical professionals for fraudulent billings of nearly $900 million.

The owner of a Connecticut dentistry practice allegedly used a retired dentist's name to fraudulently bill insurance companies.

Connecticut Dental Practice Owner Charged with Identity Theft and Fraud

A Pittsburgh dentist has been indicted by a federal grand jury on six counts of improperly distributing oxycodone.

According to court documents, Daniel Garner was accused of dispensing the painkillers without valid medical reasons from Feb. 13, 2014 to June 11, 2015.  

The grand jury charged Garner on a separate count of omitting crucial information on a US Drug Enforcement Administration form, specifically, that he had previously lost his registration number for not following federal regulations on prescribing controlled substances.

If convicted, Garner could be given a maximum total sentence on all counts of up to 124 years in prison, a fine of $6,250,000, a term of supervised release of three years, or both.

However, under federal sentencing guidelines, the actual sentence would depend on the severity of the offenses and any prior criminal history.

The American Dental Association is currently updating its guidelines of proper opioid use and the revised 

According to ADA council members, “Every year, millions of adolescents receive their first introduction to opioids following the extraction of their third molars. Many of these young adults may have never received these centrally acting analgesics before in their lives. We have a special responsibility to counsel them about their dangers and educate them about their safe use of opioids when taken for acute postoperative pain.”

Federal prosecutors currently plan to seize Garner’s Pittsburgh office, because it was allegedly used to aid in drug crimes.

A Pittsburgh dentist is facing federal charges relating to accusations he prescribed oxycodone without medical reason.