Seth Lookhart, a Dentist from Alaska, is under investigation for allegedly riding a hoverboard while performing a tooth extraction on a patient. Video footage of the unusual incident was discovered by investigators who were working on a case involving allegations of Medicaid fraud against Lookhart, who was eventually charged with 17 counts of fraud after billing Medicaid for $1.8 million worth of unnecessary sedations. Shauna Cranford, the office manager at Clear Creek Dental, was charged with 16 counts of Medicaid fraud for her role in the scam.
Ten of the 16 charges are felonies.
Dentist charged with 'unlawful dental acts'
The existence of the hoverboard video was brought up in court on Wednesday, during Lookhart's bail hearing. In addition to fraud, Lookhart also faces several counts of "unlawful dental acts" due to his irresponsible behavior. According to Anchorage Daily News, prosecutors claim Lookhart filmed the hoverboard tooth extraction and texted the video to friends and colleagues.
After District Court Judge Jennifer Henderson reviewed the evidence, she concluded that Lookhart posed a flight risk and ordered that he turn in his passport. Lookhart, who also owns a dental office in Brazil, has "apparent possession of significant financial resources" and was deemed a threat to flee the country.
How the dentist's Medicaid scam worked
Lookhart's shady business practices demonstrate how the dentist was able to amass his fortune. The dentist used IV sedation on patients, even in situations where local anesthesia is the norm, such as deep cleanings.
According to Anchorage Daily News, Medicaid pays out $170.76 for fifteen minutes of IV sedations, while the payout for nitrous oxide is $57.
State law stipulates that IV sedation can only be used in emergency situations on Medicaid patients. Yet Lookhart billed Medicaid for almost $2 million for IV sedation in 2016 alone, amounting to roughly 1 out of every 3 such billings in the state of Alaska.
Shauna Cranford, the other defendant in the case, began working as Lookhart's office manager in 2015.
She admitted to investigators that the IV sedation scam was her idea, and that Lookhart was initially reluctant to take part in the illegal practice. However, business was slow and Lookhart was desperate.
Even though Cranford and Lookhart both knew the practice was illegal, patients apparently loved the idea of being sedated for even the most basic of dental procedures. As a result, Lookhart's practice grew rapidly; by January of 2017, he was receiving an average monthly Medicaid payout of $436,000.
To put that into perspective, that's enough money to buy 242 top-of-the-line IO Hawk hoverboards each month.