Fake dentists arrested in New Jersey after woman develops oral infection
LINDEN, New Jersey (WABC) -- Two men practicing dentistry without a license were arrested and charged Tuesday in Linden, New Jersey, after a woman developed a severe oral infection.
Forty-two-year-old Jorge Renteria-Paz, of Roselle, and 73-year-old Hector Carro, of Linden, were charged with unlawful practice of dentistry, a third-degree crime, according to the Union County Prosecutor's Office.
A woman tipped off the Linden Police Department about the practice last year after she developed a severe oral infection.
The woman said she paid the two suspects nearly $1,000 over the course of several patient visits.
Renteria-Paz and Carro were performing their illegal dentist work out of two residential apartments in Linden.
Search warrants were executed on these locations Tuesday, where authorities found several pieces of dental equipment, a handheld X-ray machine, sterilization equipment and more than $20,000 in cash.
"Those who perform dental or medical work without a license in New Jersey don't just illegally profit from their schemes by exploiting some of our most vulnerable citizens," said acting Union County Prosecutor Michael Monahan. "Too often they also place the health of their client victims in jeopardy with substandard techniques and sterilization methods."
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