A Calgary dentist has been sentenced to prison after admitting to a decade-long insurance fraud scheme that involved submitting hundreds of thousands of dollars in false dental claims to multiple insurers.

A Calgary dentist has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to a long-running insurance fraud scheme that resulted in nearly $700,000 in fraudulent claims submitted to multiple insurers over a ten-year period.

Alena Smadych, the former owner of a dental clinic in Calgary, admitted to submitting falsified insurance billings between 2013 and 2023. Court records show the fraudulent activity involved inflated and fabricated claims for dental procedures, including repeated high-value treatments that were never performed.

Investigators determined that Smadych’s clinic, at one point one of the highest-billing dental practices in the country for root canals, maintained two separate sets of records. One reflected legitimate dental work, while the other was used to generate inflated insurance claims. Prosecutors described this second set as consisting largely of fabricated procedures billed to insurers.

The scheme first came to light in 2021 when an insurance provider flagged unusual billing patterns, including repeat procedures, unexplained spikes in year-end claims, and discrepancies between patient records and insurer submissions. A deeper forensic review revealed that large volumes of claims were submitted under Smadych’s provider number, including instances where tens of thousands of dollars were billed for a small number of patients on a single day.

Smadych ultimately admitted to submitting more than $684,000 in fraudulent claims across five insurance companies. Authorities noted that the fraudulent activity continued even after she became aware that insurers were scrutinizing her billing practices.

In sentencing, the court emphasized that Smadych abused her position of trust as a healthcare professional and that the prolonged nature of the scheme significantly increased the financial harm. The judge also noted that the fraud continued for years after detection efforts began, calling it an aggravating factor.

The court was told Smadych had a prior fraud conviction unrelated to the dental practice. A pre-sentence report described her as minimizing the seriousness of her conduct and showing limited remorse.

The case highlights the vulnerability of insurance systems to high-volume provider fraud and the role of anomaly detection in uncovering long-term schemes. The sentence reflects a growing willingness by Canadian courts to impose custodial penalties where professionals exploit their positions for financial gain.

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Originally published on Canadian Fraud News.