John Roger Lund
SANTA CLARA COUNTY — According to the District Attorney’s Office, “One patient had 18 root canals within a period of five years. An average person usually has only one or two such procedures – if any – during their lifetime.”
That left insurance billing investigators wondering how many other procedures 66-year-old John Roger Lund performed before coming under investigation.
Deputy District Attorney David Soares with the Insurance Fraud Unit said, “Investigators for the Dental Board have determined that Lund, may have performed hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of such fraudulent procedures.”
Investigators became aware of the scam in 2012 when a dentist who had purchased Lund’s practice began researching his records, and had in fact determined that he had seemingly been doing unnecessary procedures on unsuspecting patients for years. The procedures included root canals, pulp caps, and crowns.
During the initial discovery by investigators, evidence had shown Lund was performing some of these procedures on healthy teeth and gums. Soares said, “He would then charge both patients and insurance companies for treatments later deemed to have been unnecessary – or in some cases never to have been performed at all.”
“All of us trust that our dentist is making treatment decisions based on what is best for our well-being,” prosecutor David Soares said. “We would like to thank the state Dental Board for their timely investigation of the complaints in this case.”
Lund is now facing 28 felony counts of insurance fraud. Lund could also face up to eight years in prison for the offenses. Lund was arraigned on June 6.
