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A Warsaw dentist and his wife indicted by a grand jury in July on charges of Medicaid fraud and money laundering will be tried by a jury in March.
In an August arraignment, Bryan and Diane Spilmon, 960 N. Orchard Drive, Warsaw, pleaded not guilty to 52 counts listed in the indictment issued July 19. After the plea was entered, their trial date was set for March 1, 2005.
The Spilmons are accused of using their mobile dental practice to entice juveniles in low-income areas of South Bend, Fort Wayne and Mishawaka to come to them for medical treatment. They then allegedly billed Medicaid for unnecessary services or services that were never were provided.
According to the indictment, Spilmon lured the children to the dental practice by providing gift certificates or other gifts.
Bryan Spilmon, a licensed dentist, previously worked in Warsaw at The Dental Center of Warsaw. In 2001, that practice dissolved and he began a new practice using the mobile dental office. The office was housed in a fifth-wheel trailer outfitted with dental equipment, and he traveled to low-income areas, where the Spilmons provided treatment for children.
Spilmon's business ventures, Advanced Dental Consulting Inc., Mobile Dental Services of Indiana Inc., Be Free LP, Pen Fun LP and Quixotic LP, also are named in the indictment.
More than $2.4 million allegedly was fraudulently obtained by the Spilmons.
Diane Spilmon is charged along with her husband because she reportedly worked as the company's billing agent and also allegedly spent some of the illegally obtained funds.
