Los Angeles dentist Benjamin Rosenberg, D.D.S., 58, of Los Angeles, was hit with federal charges Monday in a brazen health care fraud and identity theft scheme that ripped off taxpayer-funded programs and private insurers alike. The indictment, unsealed in federal court, alleges Rosenberg submitted false claims for dental work he never performed — padding his pockets while exploiting patient data like a criminal enterprise.
Rosenberg faces six counts of health care fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft, according to the Department of Justice. Authorities say he systematically used patients’ personal identification — without consent — to bill insurance carriers, including California’s Medicaid dental program, Denti-Cal. The scam spanned multiple insurers, with fake procedures logged and payments collected while patients remained in the dark.
Arrested yesterday morning in Los Angeles, Rosenberg appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jean Rosenbluth, where the charges were formally read. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Emily Culbertson of the DOJ’s Fraud Section, part of a federal crackdown on medical fraud that’s drained billions from public health programs. Each count of health care fraud carries up to 10 years in prison; the identity theft charges add a mandatory two-year sentence, consecutive to any other.
The FBI’s Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles Field Offices led the investigation, tracking a paper trail of fabricated treatments and inflated invoices. Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the DOJ’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Nicola T. Hanna, and FBI officials Andrew W. Vale and Paul D. Delacourt confirmed the charges, underscoring the federal machinery now bearing down on medical practitioners abusing the system.
This case ties into the broader reach of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, a joint operation between the DOJ and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Since launching in March 2007, the task force has charged over 3,500 defendants who collectively defrauded Medicare for more than $12.5 billion. Rosenberg’s alleged scam, while not yet quantified in total dollar value, fits the profile of the organized, repeat-billing schemes the unit was built to dismantle.
An indictment is not a conviction. Benjamin Rosenberg is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. But the charges paint a damning picture: a trusted health care provider allegedly weaponizing patient trust for profit, turning dental records into receipts for fraud.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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