Attorney General James Announces Arrest of Queens Dentist Who Stole Over $300,000 from Medicaid

Suleman Nasimi Billed Medicaid for Invasive Dental Procedures That Never Happened, Preventing New Yorkers in Need from Getting Treatment

New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the arrest of Queens dentist Suleman Nasimi for stealing more than $300,000 from Medicaid by billing for hundreds of dental procedures he never performed.  An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) found that Nasimi, 46, of Hicksville, Nassau County, allegedly submitted false claims to Medicaid for dental procedures he never performed, even billing Medicaid for procedures conducted on the same days he was on vacation in Europe.  The OAG’s investigation alleges that from January 1, 2020, through August 31, 2024, Nasimi, through his practice Tooth Fresh Meadows, claimed that he performed hundreds of procedures, including root canals and porcelain crown installations, even though none of them ever happened.  As a result, several of his patients were allegedly unable to get the dental treatment they needed because Medicaid records reflected that they had already received the procedure that Nasimi billed for but never performed.  Nasimi was arrested and charged today with 40 crimes.

“Fraudsters who steal from Medicaid with fake billing schemes put vulnerable New Yorkers at risk by making it harder for them to get the care they need,” said Attorney General James.  “All New Yorkers deserve quality dental care, and my office will not tolerate dentists who put personal greed before their patients.  We will continue to ensure that Medicaid fraudsters are held accountable and criminally prosecuted when they break the law.”

The OAG charged Nasimi for submitting false claims for dental procedures that were never performed on at least 35 Medicaid recipients between January 2020 and August 2024.  In July 2022 alone, Nasimi is alleged to have billed for over $140,000 worth of procedures during periods when his office was closed and he was away on vacation in England, France, and Greece.  This false billing scheme allowed Nasimi, through his Tooth Fresh Meadows practice, to steal more than $300,000 from Medicaid.  Several of Nasimi’s patients were unable to receive the dental care they needed because Medicaid had accepted Nasimi’s false claims for procedures that he never performed.  When these patients went to other dentists for procedures, they were denied prior approval for their dental care because Medicaid had already paid Nasimi for those procedures.  Nasimi and Tooth Fresh Meadows were arraigned today on two separate 40-count felony complaints before Judge Jennifer Saint-Preux.  Both Nasimi and his company were charged with one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, two counts of Health Care Fraud in the Second Degree, two counts of Health Care Fraud in the Third Degree, and 35 counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree.  If convicted on the top count, Nasimi faces a maximum sentence of five to fifteen years in state prison on the top count.  The charges against the defendant are accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The OAG thanks the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG), for its valuable assistance in this investigation.  The OAG also thanks DentaQuest for its assistance.  MFCU’s investigation was led by Detective Robert Hatt with the assistance supervision of Detective Supervisor Christopher Miro, Assistant Deputy Chief James Zablonski, and Deputy Chief Ronald Lynch.  The investigation also received assistance from Robert Bashaw from MFCU’s Electronic Investigative Support Group (EISG), and Detectives Allison Smith, Thomas Walker, and Detective Supervisor John Benshoff.  The audit was conducted by Senior Auditor Investigator Michelle George with assistance from Senior Auditor Investigator Patrick Beltrani, and Auditor Investigators Tashi Hamilton and Lorgia Vasconcellos, under the supervision of Principal Auditor Investigator Mary Gail Kowtna, Regional Chief Auditor Gretchen Spence, and MFCU Chief Auditor Dejan Budimir.  Legal Support Analysts Anne Liptak and Nicole Giotta also assisted in the investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General Matthew C. DeSaro under the supervision of MFCU Hauppauge Regional Director Veronica Bindrim-MacDevitt and MFCU Chief of Criminal Investigations Prabhjot Sekhon-Treanor.  MFCU is led by Deputy Attorney General Amy Held and Assistant Deputy Attorney General Thoms O’Hanlon.  MFCU is part of the Division for Criminal Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux.

Reporting Medicaid Provider Fraud: MFCU defends the public by addressing Medicaid provider fraud and protecting nursing home residents from abuse and neglect.  If an individual believes they have information about Medicaid provider fraud or about an incident of abuse or neglect of a nursing home resident, they can file a confidential complaint online or call the MFCU hotline at: (800) 771-7755.  If the situation is an emergency, please call 911.  New York MFCU’s total funding for federal fiscal year (FY) 2026 is $70,793,651.  Of that total, 75 percent, or $53,095,240, is awarded under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The remaining 25 percent, totaling $17,698,411 for FY 2026, is funded by New York State.  Through MFCU’s recoveries by means of law enforcement actions and civil enforcement actions, it regularly returns more to Medicaid than it received in funding.