Dentist who committed fraud, sentenced to 366 days in prison

BENTON, Ill. (AP) - A Missouri man who practiced dentistry in southern Illinois was sentenced Thursday to a year and a day in prison for fraud despite a probation recommendation by federal prosecutors and the dentist's lawyer.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers said Dr. Yun Sup Kim cooperated with investigators, agreed to give up his medical license and paid back the $671,845 he fraudulently billed.

U.S. District Judge Staci M. Yandle ruled Thursday probation would not be appropriate for Kim. She said probation would reinforce some people's impression that 'œthere are two separate justice systems, one for the privileged and one for the underprivileged.'ť

Prosecutors alleged Kim, who practiced in Swansea, Illinois, falsely claimed filling cavities for more than 1,300 patients, over-billed for simple extractions, submitted false bills and falsified dates of service to evade Medicaid billing rules. Kim pleaded guilty in February to three counts of health care fraud.

In a court filing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Stump said Kim caused his patients physical harm by failing to properly treat cavities, failing to properly extract their teeth or by extracting too many teeth.

Defense lawyer Marc Johnson said letters from colleagues, relatives and patients spoke about Kim's commendable qualities, including his work ethic and acceptance of responsibility.