Cherie R. Dillon, 61, of Fruitland, Idaho, stood in federal court Tuesday and admitted to ripping off Medicaid for years by impersonating a dentist. As the prosecution wrapped its case in a four-day trial before Chief U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill, Dillon changed her plea—guilty to 24 counts of health care fraud and 24 counts of aggravated identity theft. There would be no jury verdict. Just a confession to a years-long scheme to bill for dental procedures she had no legal right to perform.
Between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2013, Dillon, a licensed dental hygienist practicing in Payette, Idaho, carried out a brazen fraud. Though barred from performing advanced dental work, she filled cavities, pulled teeth, and fitted dentures—services restricted by law to licensed dentists. Worse, she billed Medicaid and other health care benefit programs for these services, falsely claiming they were performed by a licensed dentist. That dentist wasn’t present, wasn’t supervising, and, at times, couldn’t even practice.
Dillon didn’t just cross professional lines—she stole identities. She used the provider number and name of a specific dentist to authorize and collect payments for treatments she performed alone. The fraud ran unchecked for nearly four years, siphoning taxpayer-funded benefits through falsified claims while putting patients at risk and violating every standard of medical ethics.
‘Our federal and state health benefits programs rely on providers to be honest about the services they provide,’ said U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson. ‘Those who seek to deceive not only about the services provided but also about who provided them undermine that system and undermine public faith in federal programs.’ Olson vowed her office and law enforcement partners would continue to target health care fraud with full force.
Dillon now faces the consequences. The maximum penalty for health care fraud is ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year sentence, consecutive to any other term. With 48 total counts, Dillon could spend decades behind bars. Sentencing is scheduled for May 9, 2017, before Judge Winmill.
The investigation was led by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, with critical support from the Idaho Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The case exposes how easily health care systems can be exploited when trust is weaponized—and how hard federal and state agencies are cracking down when it happens.
Related Federal Cases
Key Facts
- State: Idaho
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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