Schott will face 33 months in prison for submitting false claims

Murfreesboro dentist Richard Schott has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for defrauding TennCare and other commercial payers more than $930,000 through his practice, Dental Excellence.

Schott pled guilty to seven counts of health care fraud last November for improper billing, falsifying dates of service to appear to comply with care regulations, upcoming claims and continuing to submit false claims even after several external audits and warnings. Reports of egregious mistreatment to patients have also headlined the lawsuit.

According to a press release, Schott took steps to conceal the fraud by discouraging employees from questioning billing practices and asking them to lie if questioned by insurance companies. He even fired employees who began to question his methods.

As part of his sentencing, the court ordered Schott to pay $956,448 in restitution to the state Medicaid program. Kendra Glenn, Schott’s former practice administrator who received bonuses thanks to the false claims, is scheduled to go on trial Dec. 3.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Booth, Sarah Bogni and Byron Jones.