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BOISE, Idaho — Federal prosecutors are seeking additional damages from an Idaho woman who acted as a dentist despite being licensed only as a dental hygienist.
Cherie R. Dillon, 62, of Fruitland, drilled and pulled teeth, provided patients with fillings and dentures, and offered other procedures that went far beyond her license at her Payette practice, Dental Healthcare With Heart.
She pleaded guilty in January to two dozen counts each of health care fraud and aggravated identity theft. She was sentenced in June to five years, which she is serving at a federal women’s prison in Dublin, California.
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Looking for more news about the Gem State? Visit KSL's <a href="https://www.ksl.com/?nid=1418" target="_blank">Idaho news section</a> for more stories about Idaho politics, events, and features.In October, Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ordered Dillon to forfeit $847,016, which represented all of the billings from her practice between 2010 and 2013. All of the billings were fraudulent, Winmill said, because she illegally performed dental procedures and her hygienist duties were carried out without required supervision from a dentist. Winmill also ordered Dillon to provide restitution of $139,770 to 11 insurance companies that were defrauded.
In a new complaint filed Dec. 5, federal prosecutors asked that Dillon be assessed three times the amount of actual damages for fraudulent Medicaid claims.
