Dentist charged with falsifying dental records of fire victims

Dr. Paresh Patel, 41, a resident of Edison, NJ faces insurance fraud charges along with charges of tampering with dental records and obstruction of administration of law for providing the Middlesex County Medical Examiner with false records, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said in a statement today.

The false records delayed identification of the fire victims, Kaplan said in a joint statement with South Plainfield police Chief James Parker and Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi of the state Attorney General's Office.

Four children, ages 2 to 12, died in the pre-dawn fire that also killed Ann Jefferson, 62. The children's mother, and Natalie Jefferson, escaped the blaze with three of her children. One of those children, who relatives identified as 8-year-old Jordan, remains in stable condition in a hospital, Kaplan said.

Kaplan's office officially identified the deceased victims for the first time today, 14 days after the fire, verifying the names that had been given by relatives. In addition to Ann Jefferson, the victims were Aliza Jefferson, 12, Tyler Davis, 7, Christopher Jefferson, 6, and Elijah Taylor, 2. The children’s mother, Natalie Jefferson, had questioned why it took so long for officials to release the bodies of her children.

The prosecutor said Patel’s false dental records delayed the identifications of all but Elijah Taylor.

Patel, owner of Healthy Dental Associates LLC, was accused of insurance fraud for submitting at least five false claims, totaling more than $1,000, and charged with five counts of healthcare claim fraud, Kaplan said.

The Star-Ledger7-year-old Tyler Davis, left and 2-year-old Elijah Taylor were two of four children killed in an early morning South Plainfield house fire.

Police discovered Patel allegedly falsified dental records in April and May of 2011 and billed Medicaid for procedures that were never done, the prosecutor said.

Kaplan said all the victims died of smoke inhalation. Authorities have yet to release a cause of the 3 a.m. fire at 1407 Clinton Ave.

The bodies of the victims were not released from the Medical Examiner's Office until Tuesday. The funeral will be held Friday in Plainfield.

Lawrence Bitterman, a New Brunswick lawyer representing Patel, said the doctor had been practicing for 20 years and is well-established and will liked in the community.

"We will be filing a not guilty plea in court tomorrow," Bitterman said.