An Abilene, TX, dentist who worked for the Kool Smiles dental chain has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $58,000 for Medicaid fraud.
Pediatric dentist Tuan Truong, DDS, also known as Terry Truong, was sentenced February 6 by U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis, according to the Texas Attorney General's Office. He was also ordered to pay $57,969 in restitution to Kool Smiles.
Dr. Truong, who has been disciplined by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners, began working for Kool Smiles in the summer of 2008. Kool Smiles paid him a base salary and offered opportunities for bonuses based on additional procedures he performed in excess of daily targets set by company management.
From June 30, 2008, to July 10, 2009, Dr. Truong made false entries on Kool Smiles patient records that he had performed dental services for Medicaid beneficiaries that he had not performed. During this period, Dr. Truong made false entries in the Kool Smiles database that caused Kool Smiles to bill and receive payment from Medicaid of more than $120,000 for services he falsely claimed to have performed.
Dr. Truong benefitted from the scheme by receiving bonuses of $32,749.
Kool Smiles cooperated with the investigation, which was conducted by the Texas Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the FBI.
