Dentist Damaged Patients' Teeth To Boost His Profits

A Wisconsin dentist has been convicted of fraud for intentionally damaging the teeth of his patients to boost his profits. Scott Charmoli, 61, was found guilty of five counts of healthcare fraud and two counts of making false statements about his patients' treatment.

Federal prosecutors said that Charmoli broke his patients' teeth using his drill and then took photos and x-rays that he submitted to insurance companies so they would cover the cost of surgery to repair the damage.

Charmoli saw his profits increase by more than $1 million in a single year. In 2014, he earned $1.4 million and performed 434 crown procedures. The following year, he raked in $2.5 million while affixing more than 1,000 crowns on his patients. Between 2016 and 2019, he billed over $4.2 million for crown procedures, conducting more than 700 a year during that time.

One of Charmoli's former patients, Todd Tedeschi, testified that he was pressured into undergoing surgery, despite the fact that his teeth felt fine. He explained that Charmoli convinced him to get two crowns affixed at the same time, so he wouldn't need to undergo anesthesia twice.

"It seemed excessive, but I didn't know any better," Tedeschi said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He was the professional. I just trusted him."

Charmoli will be sentenced in June and faces up to 60 years behind bars.