NJ dentist who stole dead colleague’s identity fined $1.1M

TRENTON  — A New Jersey dentist has been fined $1.1 million by the federal government for assuming the identity of a dead colleague and submitting fraudulent Medicaid bills after losing his license.

NJ.com reports that 58-year-old Roben Brookhim also accepted a 50-year exclusion from participating in any federal health care programs for masterminding the long billing scheme.

Federal authorities say Brookhim started billing the government under the name of deceased dentist John Kirkland Jr. after his own license was revoked in 2004.

The settlement, announced Monday, resolves the Short Hills man's civil obligations for his actions. He was convicted of falsifying health care records and spent nine months in prison in 2014.

Brookhim's exclusion was one of the longest ever imposed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Also on New Jersey 101.5:

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.