A Calgary dentist has been sentenced to three years in prison for committing insurance billing fraud over a span of ten years, despite a last-minute plea for an extension of freedom. Alena Smadych, who previously admitted to defrauding five insurance companies of nearly $700,000, had her sentencing handed down by Justice Gord Wong. The defense attempted to postpone the sentencing, citing Smadych’s worsening back pain as a reason for delay. However, the prosecution argued against the adjournment, highlighting that Smadych had declined certain medical treatments and had been managing her pain through alternative methods like yoga.
Ultimately, the court denied the adjournment request, with Justice Wong expressing confidence in the prison system’s ability to address Smadych’s health concerns. The prosecution recommended a two- to three-year prison term, while the defense proposed a two-year conditional sentence that would permit Smadych to serve her time at home under specific conditions.
Smadych, who previously owned All About Family Dental and sold it for $3.5 million, was revealed to have engaged in fraudulent billing practices totaling over $684,000 between 2013 and 2023. The investigation into her activities commenced in 2021 after irregular billing patterns were flagged by Sun Life. The court highlighted that Smadych’s fraudulent activities persisted even after the investigation had commenced, with clinic billings showing suspicious spikes towards the end of each calendar year.
Furthermore, additional fraudulent billing claims amounting to over $125,000 were acknowledged during Smadych’s guilty plea, which later escalated to over $558,000 as more insurance companies came forward. Despite her guilty plea, Smadych struggled to fully accept responsibility for her actions, attributing blame to others involved in the clinic’s operations. She is no longer practicing dentistry in Alberta and has expressed an interest in pursuing her career in Australia. Smadych had a prior conviction in 2007 for fraud over $5,000 related to a scheme at Home Depot.