ELMER COOK, A.K.A. "SINGING DENTIST," SENTENCED ON INSURANCE FRAUD AND THEFT CHARGES

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr., announced today that Elmer E. Cook, 53, of Baltimore County was sentenced today after pleading guilty in January in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County to one count of felony insurance fraud and one count of felony theft. Cook, a dentist whose license to practice had been revoked, was convicted of providing false documentation to and stealing over $41,000 from various insurance companies.

The Honorable Christian M. Kahl sentenced Mr. Cook to five years' incarceration with all but eight months of that sentence to be suspended followed by a period of probation. The eight months will be served through home detention. The court also ordered that Cook pay $41,449 in restitution.

In a statement of facts presented by the prosecutor last January, the court learned that from March of 1996 through March of 1998, Cook billed several insurance companies over $97,000 for dental services that he never performed. Cook received over $41,000 in illegitimate insurance reimbursements during this period.

"The Office of the Attorney General will continue to work with the Insurance Administration to crack down on the serious and costly crime of insurance fraud," Attorney General Curran said.

The conviction follows a joint investigation conducted by the Insurance Fraud Division of the Maryland Insurance Administration and the Office of the Attorney General.

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