Five family members perished in the Feb. 23 blaze in South Plainfield and four other family members were injured.
Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan says Paresh Patel, owner of Healthy Smiles Dental Associates in Metuchen, was charged with fraud after he provided records that showed certain dental work had never been performed on the children even though he had billed Medicaid for the work.
Patel's attorney, Lawrence Y. Bitterman, says he Patel has been practicing for 20 years and plans to enter a not guilty plea during his court appearance this week.
