From Press Release, United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas:
- Rene Gaviola, operator of Floss Family Dental Care clinic in Houston, admitted to submitting fraudulent claims to Medicaid for pediatric dental services that were not provided.
- Gaviola confessed to employing unlicensed individuals to practice dentistry on Medicaid-insured children and operating the clinic without any licensed dentists, billing Medicaid as if licensed professionals provided the services.
- He further admitted to paying kickbacks to marketers and caregivers of Medicaid-insured children for bringing them to Floss, and to laundering Medicaid funds from the clinic’s business account to his personal account in transactions exceeding $100,000.
- From 2019 to 2021, Floss billed Medicaid nearly $6.9 million for pediatric dental services, of which Medicaid paid approximately $4.9 million.
- Gaviola pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing on April 16, facing potential penalties including up to 10 years for conspiracy to commit health care fraud, payment of kickbacks, and money laundering, as well as potential fines in the hundreds of thousands.