A relentless two-year long investigative series that brought to light rampant pediatric dental Medicaid fraud
In this series of dogged reports, WFAA-TV and reporter Byron Harris uncovered a corrupt system in which hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars went to dentists who billed the government for questionable orthodontics and other procedures that, in some instances, harmed children. One Dallas-area dental clinic cruised poor neighborhoods, luring kids with food and cash before performing extensive, unnecessary and often harmful dental work all without parental consent. WFAA’s detailed reporting featured whistleblowers, hidden camera video and the tireless pursuit of one dentist living in a mansion the size of Versailles. Because of this reporting, the Texas Medicaid commissioner and the state’s dental director resigned, and congressional hearings were held.
Byron Harris, reporter; Jason Trahan, producer; Billy Bryant, photographer and video editor; Carolyn Mungo, executive news director; Mike Devlin, president and general manager.
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