Vanessa Roberts Avery, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and William Tong, the Connecticut Attorney General, have announced a settlement involving Lakshmi Bethi, DMD. Bethi and her former businesses—New Haven Dental LLC, New Haven Family Dental LLC, and New Haven Family Dental Group LLC—have agreed to pay $608,296.39 to settle allegations of violating federal and state False Claims Acts.
Bethi is a licensed dentist in Connecticut. Her dental practices were part of the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CTMAP), which includes Medicaid. The allegations suggest that Bethi's practices submitted claims for services provided to Medicaid patients referred by a third-party "patient recruiting" company. They reportedly paid $110 per patient referral when services exceeded routine care such as cleanings and exams.
The CTDHP provider manual prohibits per-patient compensation for referrals under CMAP providers. By settling these allegations under the False Claims Acts, Bethi's entities are reimbursing Medicaid for actions from January 1, 2019, through April 6, 2023.
In related criminal proceedings, Bethi pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate anti-kickback statutes. She admitted paying over $360,000 in kickbacks between 2016 and 2023. As a result of these actions, she received approximately $2.2 million from Connecticut Medicaid for services rendered to recruited patients. On December 18, 2024, she was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to forfeit $500,000.
This case is part of a broader investigation into fraudulent activities by healthcare providers submitting kickback-tainted claims to CTMAP via third-party recruiters.
The investigation involved several agencies: the Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; Connecticut Attorney General’s Office; and Connecticut Department of Social Services. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anne Thidemann and Elena Coronado along with Assistant Attorney General Joshua L. Jackson prosecuted the case.
Individuals suspecting healthcare fraud are encouraged to report it at 1-800-HHS-TIPS.