A Mt. Vernon dentist has agreed to give up his dental license this month after he was charged with arson and pleaded guilty to Medicaid fraud.
Reports say Thomas Alms, 64, surrendered his license according to documents filed Dec. 10.
In the Medicaid fraud case, Alms pleaded guilty to 1 felony count and the other 2 he was originally charged with were dropping as part of a deal with prosecutors.
The Joplin Globe reported in March of 2019 that the plea agreement required him to repay the program $200,000 and surrender his license to practice dentistry for five years.
Court documents say Alms had submitted claims to Missouri’s Medicaid program for services he did not provide.
The Springfield News-Leader reports a little more than a week after his guilty plea in the Medicaid fraud case, Alms was indicted on charges of arson and stealing after prosecutors say he and his wife set fire to Alms’ dental office in a scheme to collect insurance money.
The News-Leader found state records indicating Alms had previously been disciplined by the Missouri Dental Board in 2012 when he admitted that he and his dental assistants did not always wear gloves while performing examinations.
