Local dentist and husband scammed Medicaid of almost $1.5 million by overcharging thousands of customers.

A Florida dentist and her spouse are accused of stealing from Medicaid and thousands of beneficiaries for years. They own and run at least seven offices throughout southeast and southwest Florida.

Investigators from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) found that Marianna Zadov, 47, and her husband, Shimon Leizgold, 48, had conned out a scam that involved over $1.5 million and thousands of beneficiaries. The couple’s several businesses, including Happy Smiles in Port St. Lucie and Fort Myers, Elite Dental in Jupiter, Polo Dental in Boca Raton, Naples, and West Palm Beach, and Royal Dental in Boynton Beach, were purportedly the hubs of the fraud scheme.

A bewildered patient had left a note on the door at Polo Dental.

Ashley Moody, the attorney general for Florida, believed that more than 5,000 people had received fictitious fees.

In a lengthy plan over a number of years, Zadov and Leizgold had their patients pay for Medicaid-covered services, according to a news release from the Office of AG Moody. Medicaid is said to have paid the husband and wife for services they occasionally did not provide to patients.

Richard Dewey, a resident, says the news upsets him.

“I am the person that they should be helping, and I am actually on Medicaid,” stated Dewey. “It undermines people’s confidence and trust.”

Grand theft, two counts of Medicaid fraud, conspiracies to commit racketeering, and racketeering are the felonies they are each facing. First-degree offenses include racketeering and conspiring to conduct racketeering. According to the news release, grand theft and one instance of Medicaid fraud are classified as second-degree felonies, while the last Medicaid fraud allegation is classified as a third-degree felony.

According to Cinthya Lavin of the Better Business Bureau, there are steps that customers can take to safeguard themselves in circumstances such as these.

“Even if you are paying with insurance, it is still necessary to review your account because most insurance companies will offer you a breakdown of the charges. Additionally, you must review the insurance company’s breakdown if you truly want to be certain,” Lavin added.

On November 2, Zadov and Leizgold were both checked into the Palm Beach County Jail, where they are still being held almost two weeks later.

On November 10, an emergency motion was submitted to the court requesting the couple’s release on the grounds that they had five children to raise, no past criminal history, and “strong ties” to the community.

Rabbi Sholom Ciment of the Boynton Beach Chabad congregation provided testimony that was included in the emergency motion. In it, he attested to the defendants’ moral integrity and their commitment to follow court orders in the event that they are allowed freedom.

Thursday morning is set aside for a motion hearing.

A medical malpractice lawsuit that was brought against Zadov in 2009, according to court documents, was eventually dropped five years later.

The original article can be found on CW34