Antoine Skaff, Medicaid Fraud, West Virginia 2023

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Charleston Dentist Sentenced for Medicaid Fraud

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – In a shocking case of healthcare corruption, 58-year-old Antoine Skaff, a Charleston dentist, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for a brazen Medicaid fraud scheme that netted him over $700,000 in false payments.

According to investigators, Skaff’s scheme involved upcoding and double billing for dental procedures he did not actually perform on Medicaid recipients. The scheme, which lasted more than five years, involved Skaff falsely inflating his billings by claiming reimbursement for complex procedures when he had performed simple extractions.

Skaff’s admitted crimes include upcoding at least 7,490 tooth extractions, billing more than $1.3 million for procedures that should have cost only $599,200. He also submitted false bills and received payment twice for removing the same teeth from the same patients, netting him $56,930 in false payments.

Skaff’s scheme was uncovered by the West Virginia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the FBI, the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Affirmative Civil Enforcement investigator from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorney Meredith George Thomas is in charge of the criminal prosecution, while Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Mankins handled the civil settlement. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence.

As part of his plea deal, Skaff agreed to pay treble damages of $2.2 million to West Virginia Medicaid. The shocking case highlights the need for increased scrutiny of healthcare providers and the importance of whistleblower protections.

The sentencing is a major victory for West Virginia taxpayers and a reminder that those who engage in healthcare corruption will be held accountable.