California Dentist Charged With Extracting Fraudulent Payments From Multiple Insurers

LOS ANGELES, Calif., June 14 -- The California Department of Insurance issued the following news release:

Carlos Maria Vallarta Fausto, 55, of Rancho Palos Verdes, surrendered last week after he was charged with two felony counts of insurance fraud for allegedly charging insurers more than $31,000 in fraudulent billings for services provided in his Los Angeles area dental practice.

"Of the various kinds of Insurance fraud we investigate at the Department of Insurance, medical provider fraud has the largest average suspected losses per case," said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. "Medical providers are in a position of great trust, and unfortunately, in this case Dr. Fausto broke that trust when he allegedly billed for services never performed."

After receiving a complaint from an insurer, the California Department of Insurance launched an investigation, which revealed Dr. Fausto billed multiple insurance companies for dental treatment he did not render to his patients over a seven-year period, between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2014.

Fausto was arrested and booked into the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center and bail is set at $25,000. This case is being prosecuted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. This case was referred to the Dental Board of California, which is responsible for licensing dentists in California.