SOUTHINGTON — A local dentist who resides in Southbury was arrested today for defrauding Medicaid, according to the Department of Justice.
Thomas L. Derienzo, 58, of Bucks Hill Road, is accused of billing Medicaid for more expensive procedures than he actually did or for procedures that were not performed at all, according to a news release.
Derienzo is charged with first-degree defrauding a public community, second-degree vendor fraud and insurance fraud.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, between 2010 and 2014 DeRienzo submitted claims for payment by Medicaid for dental services he purportedly had rendered as owner of Plantsville Family Dental in the Plantsville section of Southington.
Investigation found that in 282 instances the claimed services were either not rendered at all or were “upcoded,” which means they were assigned an incorrect billing code in order to increase the allowable payment.
Source: Southbury resident charged with Medicaid fraud Republican American