The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has announced new charges against Fritz Gabriel, the manager of Forest Hills Dental in Boston. These charges include unauthorized issuance of prescriptions and misuse of a patient's credit card. This follows previous indictments in May 2024 for Medicaid fraud, larceny, unlicensed dental practice, and assault.
Gabriel, aged 69 from Milton, was indicted on December 12 by a Suffolk County Grand Jury for unlawful use of a registration number and fraudulent use of a credit card. His arraignment is scheduled for December 17 at Suffolk County Superior Court.
The AGO alleges that Gabriel falsely presented himself as a licensed dentist to issue prescriptions using another dentist's credentials without consent. State law restricts prescription issuance to licensed dentists only.
Additionally, Gabriel is accused of making over $6,000 in unauthorized purchases with a patient's credit card, including $5,000 spent at Forest Hills. The investigation suggests he helped the patient open the credit card but used it without their knowledge.
Previous indictments claim that Gabriel and Forest Hills billed MassHealth for services not provided or improperly performed by Gabriel himself. One incident involved an extraction that left an exposed root in a patient's mouth.
These allegations are part of ongoing efforts by the AGO to address misuse of authority within the dental industry and abuse of the MassHealth program. Similar cases were announced earlier this year involving other dental practices across Massachusetts.
Assistant Attorneys General Sean Hildenbrandt and Heidi Gosule, along with Investigator Kathleen Tansey from the AG’s Medicaid Fraud Division, are handling this case with assistance from Inspector Yves Charles.
The AGO's Medicaid Fraud Division is certified annually by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate healthcare provider fraud against MassHealth. It also handles complaints regarding abuse or neglect in long-term care facilities.
The division receives 75% of its funding from federal grants totaling $5,922,320 for fiscal year 2025; the remaining funds come from Massachusetts state resources amounting to $1,974,102 for FY 2025.