INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The Indiana Attorney General's Office says a former Kokomo dentist will pay a $12,000 penalty for mishandling patients' medical records.
The office said Friday that Dr. Joseph Beck agreed to a consent decree signed this week in Marion County court in Indianapolis.
The office says more than 60 boxes of patient records from Beck's former Comfort Dental clinic in Kokomo were found discarded in an Indianapolis trash bin in March 2013 in violation of state and federal privacy laws.
The Indiana Board of Dentistry permanently revoked Beck's license in December 2011 following a state investigation into fraudulent billing practices and negligence.
A residential phone number for a Joseph Beck near Kokomo wasn't accepting messages, and he couldn't be reached for comment.
