A woman was arrested for allegedly operating an approximately $11 million scheme that defrauded dozens of patients through illegal dental practices in Florida, according to multiple news articles published on January 7.
Evelyn Cruz, 42, and her husband, Ysmel Cruz, neither of whom were licensed dentists, allegedly used the names of licensed dentists to run The Dental Specialists of Boynton Beach, Dental Specialists of Doral Group, Dental Specialists of Broward Group, and Dental Specialists of Pembroke Pines, FL. Some of the licensed dentists had no knowledge of the scheme, according to articles.
Cruz faces 50 charges, including insurance fraud exceeding $100,000, theft from elderly patients, and organized scheme to defraud. Cruz faces decades in prison if convicted. A warrant for the arrest of Ysmel Cruz has been issued.
In December, Dr. Ivan Pelton, an associate dentist who worked at the practices, was charged with the same offenses. Evelyn Cruz and Pelton are being held on a $280,000 bond.
In 2012, Cruz began operating dental practices that she allegedly opened with more than $11 million of illicit proceeds from insurance companies. Cruz and her husband reportedly opened the practices using Pelton's name after she was denied a business license for not being a dentist.
The couple purportedly opened multiple practices using the names of unlicensed dentists. However, between January 2020 and May 2022, Cruz allegedly paid a dentist more than $61,000 to use his name even though he didn't work at any practice. Cruz reportedly controlled staff, finances, and daily operations, and the dentists she hired only performed dental care, according to the articles.
In 2019, Cruz sold the Boynton location to Care One Dental. After a detailed review of Cruz's software, Care One discovered that 80 patients, including some that were over the age of 65, had been defrauded. Investigators claim they were swindled out of thousands of dollars over a decade-long scheme, according to the articles.
When investigators searched the Cruzes' home in June 2023, IRS documents revealing that Cruz was the owner and president of Dental Specialists Management Group, which runs the practices, were discovered. Other discoveries included a $400,000 cashier's check from the management group and nearly $387,000 in cash stuffed in trash bags along with patient receipts.
Additionally, authorities found that Cruz and her husband allegedly transferred more than $550,000 from their dental practices to personal accounts in August 2021. The funds were purportedly used to purchase their $1.9 million home in Englewood, according to the articles.
