Here is the story that is out there about Dr. Liebau. As Paul Harvey would have said, “the rest of the story” is at the end.
Former Erie-area dentist charged with Medicaid fraud – GoErie.com
On Aug. 27, 2008, Kristi Ayn Liebau, then a dentist with an office in Lawrence Park Township, billed Medicaid for services she said she provided to a young patient.
That day, Liebau said, she had used composites to repair six teeth of the patient, identified in court records as M.J.
Federal investigators, however, found a problem with the procedures.
M.J.'s teeth were virtually brand new, raising questions about why Liebau would need to fix them.
The bill Liebau submitted for M.J.'s dental work, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Erie said, turned out to be false.
"None of the teeth that were billed for had yet to even erupt in the patient's mouth on July 23, 2008," the government alleged in court records.
Using the case of M.J. and 13 other patients -- most of them children -- the government on Friday charged Liebau with 14 felony counts of false statements relating to health-care matters.
Investigators said the fraudulent billings to Medicaid occurred from January 2008 through March 2011, when Liebau, 39, was practicing at 4010 East Lake Road in Lawrence Park, according to court records.
Liebau, who now lives in Texas, will end the case with a plea deal, her lawyer, David Ridge, said Tuesday.
"My client has decided to take full responsibility for any and all billing problems that existed while she was running her practice in Erie," Ridge said. "That is why we thought the best way to resolve this was by a negotiated plea as opposed to proceeding to trial."
U.S. District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin on Tuesday scheduled a plea hearing for Sept. 20 at the federal courthouse in Erie. Liebau is not in custody.
Liebau also plans to waive an indictment at the hearing, according to court records, which would save the cost of the government having to convene a grand jury. The U.S. Attorney's Office charged her instead by filing what is known as a criminal information in court.
Liebau, who got her dental degree in 1999, had lived in Fairview Township and now lives in Sugar Land, Texas, near Houston. She remains licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and Texas, according to state records.
Liebau got her Pennsylvania dental license in September 1999 and her Texas license in August 2011. She is licensed in Texas under the name Kristi Ayn Liebau-Grassi.
Court records do not show how much the government is accusing Liebau of falsely billing Medicaid, though those details are expected to come up at future proceedings. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marshall Piccinini, the chief federal prosecutor in Erie, declined to comment.
The government is believed to have found instances of billing problems in addition to the 14 cases it detailed in the charges. The criminal information against Liebau classifies those 14 cases as examples to show how Liebau billed Medicaid for services when she knew the "services actually had not been provided to patients."
The government, according to the criminal information, accused Liebau of, among other things, repairing teeth with composites, installing crowns and performing root canals and similar procedures, known as pulpotomies, when the teeth were missing or not subject to the procedures.
In the case of a patient identified as L.B., according to the criminal information, Liebau on Dec. 18, 2008, filed a "false claim that, on the same date, a four-surface composite restoration, a root canal and a crown were performed on tooth 5 when in fact tooth 5 was extracted."
In the case of a child identified as K.S., according to the criminal information, Liebau on July 21, 2009, filed a "false claim that eight three-plus composites and 12 four-plus composites on every primary tooth in a 3-year-old patient were performed in a 19-minute surgical procedure."
And on Aug. 4, 2009, the government said, Liebau filed a false claim for pulling two primary teeth of patient Bi.D.
"In fact," according to the criminal complaint, "those teeth were still present after the procedures."
What the articles have not said:
The article say Dr. Kristi Liebau-Grassi, was practicing at 4010 E. Lake Road, Erie, PA. That address appears to be a residence sitting on a lush golf course, but I guess it could be a dental office.
Personal Quote
“I love to develop a relationship with the patient that allows me to understand and fulfill their dental needs. I want everyone to feel comfortable and change their opinions of going to the dentist.”
Missouri City, TX 77459 (281) 778-5355
From Sienna Dental Website:
Sienna Modern Dentistry, PC
2860 Michelle Dr., 2nd Fl., Irvine, California 92606
Registered Agent – John Barnes, 5105 Eldorado Parkway, Suite 150, Frisco, Texas.
Director – John Barnes
Governing Person:
John Barnes
2860 Michelle Dr. 2nd Fl.
Irvine, California 92606
John Barnes calls himself a “Regional Partner” for Pacific Dental Services. Bacially, his is their patsy and pretend dental clinic owner. John S. Barnes had his name on every Monarch Dental office in Texas in 2007.
Dr. John S. Barnes is credited with owning 17 area Smile Generation “approved” dental offices. Which means, John S. Barnes is the one to bite the dust for Pacific Dental when crapola hits the fan.
Wonder how Dr. Barnes sold all the Monarch Dental offices he owned?
Imagine, a dentist, who doesn’t mind to commit Medicaid fraud, landing in Texas off all places! Crazy, just crazy!