Tipperary dentist who defrauded HSE of €58k is jailed and ordered to pay 100k

By Niamh O’Donoghue and Isabel Hayes

A Tipperary dentist who “brought utter ruination on himself” by defrauding the HSE of €58,000 over a 17-year period has been jailed for one year and ordered to pay €100,000.

Jerome Kiely (47) of Acraboy House, Monard, Co Tipperary, pleaded guilty last November at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one sample count of dishonestly inducing the HSE to provide a payment of €326 for dentures on May 12th, 2015.

He had originally been charged with 32 counts of deception but last Friday he was arraigned and pleaded guilty to six further sample counts on dates between November 2010 and September 2019.

On a separate bill, Kiely was sent forward on signed pleas from the District Court on 47 charges of deception between May 2008 and January 2025, John Griffin, prosecuting, told the court. He has no previous convictions.

The Dental Treatment Services Scheme allows adult medical card holders to access dentists for care and appliances including fillings, extractions, root canals and dentures.

Two bank accounts belonging to Kiely containing about €830,000 and €667,000 have since been frozen, the court heard.

Sentencing him on Monday, Judge Martin Nolan said the HSE had placed its trust in Kiely as a dentist, but this trust turned out to be “misplaced”.

“I have to accept he knew what he was doing was wrong,” the judge said. “He is a very intelligent and accomplished man. The court is at a loss as to why he did it. It seems he had plenty of money.”

The judge accepted psychiatric evidence before the court that Kiely had mental health problems and a lengthy history of depression. He has become more reclusive as time has passed, the court heard.

A letter from his wife, the mother of his three children, was handed into court, asking the judge not to jail Kiely. He volunteers with the local GAA club and references were handed into court.

Judge Nolan said it was questionable as to whether Kiely would be able to practise as a dentist again. “His reputation has been destroyed,” he said. “Everyone will know who Dr Kiely is and what is occurring in court.”

Remy Farrell, defending, previously told the court his client is due back in the District Court in two weeks in relation to “compensating the HSE”.

He asked Judge Nolan to put the matter back until then but Judge Nolan decided to pass down sentence on Monday.

He said he did not believe Kiely would reoffend, but that a custodial term was warranted given the seriousness of the case.

He set a sentence of three years and suspended the final two years on a number of conditions, including that Kiely pay a sum of €100,000 to the HSE within three months.

The judge noted this was in excess of what Kiely had stolen, but that the additional sum was a “punishment”.

Mr Farrell told the court that his client qualified as a dentist in 2003. He said there is no doubt that his client had “brought utter ruination on himself” and he asked the judge not to impose consecutive sentences.