Dentist hauled off to jail for violating probation

A dentist, who was previously sentenced for reportedly using colleagues and others' identities to file millions in fake Medicaid claims while his license was revoked for providing substandard care to children, will now serve jail time for a probation violation.

Dr. Seyed Hamid Tofigh, who was sentenced to house arrest in February 2024 after pleading guilty to defrauding a state health plan and practicing dentistry without a license, will now serve 18 months in jail for violating the terms of his probation, according to a press release dated August 30 from the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.

Under the terms of his probation, Tofigh was prohibited from providing dental services. However, Tofigh purportedly almost immediately began to apply for dentistry positions at practices in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, using an altered dental license while on house arrest, according to the release.

When he applied, Tofigh reportedly failed to disclose his criminal convictions or any actions the Maryland State Board of Dental Examiners took against him. Also, Tofigh applied for a dental license in Washington, DC, using an altered report from the National Practitioners Database that indicated he did not have a criminal conviction and that no action had ever been taken against his professional license.

Furthermore, it was determined that Tofigh violated his probation by leaving his home without approval from the home detention monitoring company, traveling to unapproved locations, and failing to provide verification for his time out of the home, according to the release.

When Tofigh, 57, of Potomac, MD, was sentenced in February to five years in prison, all but 78 days of his time was suspended. Also, he had been placed on 18 months of house arrest plus probation. He was sentenced after pleading guilty to stealing more than $8.5 million from the Medicaid program.