A West Los Angeles-based dentist was charged in an indictment unsealed on March 12 for his alleged participation in a health care fraud and identity theft scheme.

Benjamin Rosenberg, 58, of Los Angeles, was charged with six counts of health care fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Rosenberg was arrested on March 11 and made his initial court appearance the following day in Los Angeles before United States Magistrate Judge Jean Rosenbluth.

The indictment alleges that Rosenberg billed insurance companies, including Medicaid-funded Denti-Cal, for dental procedures that were never provided. Rosenberg allegedly billed the insurance companies by using patients’ identification without their permission.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington and Los Angeles field offices. Trial Attorney Emily Culbertson, of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, is prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services focusing on fraud. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has charged over 3,500 defendants who collectively have fraudulently billed the Medicare program for over $12.5 billion.