Secret Service has dental records

The saga of Select Dental continues, as it was revealed last week that the Howard Beach business is currently being investigated by the U.S. Department of Secret Service.
In addition, it seems that a division of Care Credit, the billing company, “was working in conjunction with Select Dental,” according to Jo Ann Shapiro, a spokesperson for Assemblymember Audrey Pheffer.
The owners of Select Dental, formerly of 159-21 Cross Bay Boulevard, had been under investigation for fraud due to related actions in several other states when they abandoned their practice in mid-November of last year - leaving confidential patient records behind in the unlocked building.
Currently, the Secret Service is in possession of the records - as well as everything else in the office.
“They logged it all as evidence,” said Shapiro, who noted that patients could get copies in order to complete their dental work.
However, it is not the records that concern Marie Marotta.
She claims that she and her husband Jack, patients of Select Dental since September 2006, paid for dental work that was never done.
“They kept telling me to be patient, that they were almost ready to begin the procedures,” said Marie Marotta. “Eventually, I started thinking, ‘How patient can I be?’ ”
When the owners fled, the Marottas, who took out extended credit on procedures that were never ultimately performed, had paid $2,500 of the $5,000 total bill.
Marie contacted Care Credit, and the couple was issued a credit for the balance.
However, around December 15 of last year, Marie called again, this time asking for a check to be issued.
“I was told I have to wait 45 business days to get a check,” she said. “If I don’t get my money I’ll go to small claims court.”
According to Care Credit, all Select Dental bills have been red flagged and are being reviewed. The company said it would work with victims to get their money back.
Select Dental is also being investigated by the New York State Department of Education’s Office of Professional Discipline.
According to Joseph Richardson, supervisor, the agency looks into professional misconduct or illegal practices of licensed persons such as engineers, dentists, nurses, architects, etc.
However, Richardson said that so far, “We haven’t been able to determine who owned the practice to this point.”