Stamford Dental Office Manager Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Insurance Companies

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ELENA ILIZAROV, 44, of Stamford, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to one count of wire fraud stemming from her use of an identity theft victim’s personal identifying information to submit fraudulent bills to private insurance companies offering dental insurance.

According to court documents and statements made in court, ILIZAROV served as the office manager for Advanced Dentistry, a dental practice located in Stamford. Between 2005 and 2016, ILIZAROV billed private dental insurance companies for services allegedly performed by an identity theft victim for patients of Advanced Dentistry, when the victim did not in fact perform those services. The identity theft victim was a dentist who had been affiliated with Advanced Dentistry for a short period of time and retired fully from dentistry in 2011.

Between 2011 and 2015, approximately $581,729 was paid by private insurance companies to Advanced Dentistry for services allegedly provided by the retired dentist. As a result, the insurance companies issued 1099 forms to the Internal Revenue Service pertaining to the retired dentist. In 2015 and 2016, ILIZAROV renewed the retired dentist’s Connecticut dental license and controlled substance registrations, paying for the renewals with her personal credit card. She also applied for, and received, liability insurance in the name of the retired dentist for several years.

The charge of wire fraud carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

ILIZAROV was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on June 21, 2016. She is released on a $500,000 bond.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarala V. Nagala and David J. Sheldon.

U.S. Attorney Daly encourages individuals who suspect health care fraud to report it by calling the Health Care Fraud Task Force at (203) 777-6311 or 1-800-HHS-TIPS.