Attorney General sues Joplin couple for Medicaid fraud

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster on Monday filed a civil lawsuit against a Joplin dentist and his wife for allegedly making false claims to Missouri's Medicaid program.

For four years, Samuel Miller, DDS, and Gina Miller allegedly filed claims and billed Missouri Medicaid for numerous dental procedures that were not performed, according to a news release from Koster's office. The Millers came under investigation after a tip to the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Unit.

"The Millers devised a scheme to defraud Missouri taxpayers by overbilling for Medicaid services or by billing for services never delivered at all," Koster said in the release. "This kind of outrageous conduct steals medical resources that would otherwise be directed to truly needy Missourians."

Koster's office will ask the court to order the Millers to pay restitution and punitive damages to the state.

The suit was filed in Cole County Circuit Court. Criminal Medicaid fraud charges are pending against Samuel Miller in Jasper County.