A woman in Florida accused of extorting a dental hygienist who performed dental services for her outside a practice had the charge dropped against her, according to a story published on February 27 on Local10.com.
It is unclear why the extortion charge was dropped against Mariela Zaldivar, according to the story. In 2024, Zaldivar, who does not have dental insurance, reportedly paid $570 to a dental hygienist for dental work. The work was not done at a dental office.
A week after the dental care, Zaldivar allegedly called the hygienist demanding she be refunded or she would report her for providing services without a dentistry license. Though she was refunded her money, Zaldivar reportedly harassed the hygienist for two months, demanded more money, and threatened to call authorities and ruin her life, according to the story.
The hygienist made attempts to block Zaldivar's phone number, but Zaldivar allegedly continued to harass the hygienist by calling from different numbers. Eventually, they agreed to meet to discuss how much money it would take for Zaldivar to leave her alone.
In December 2024, the women met in a bathroom inside a department store at a mall. There, Zaldivar allegedly demanded $2,000 and in turn would leave the hygienist alone, according to the story.
During the meetup, an officer broke up the confrontation when Zaldivar reportedly raised her voice and threatened the hygienist. The officer had both women follow him outside of the store. The hygienist reportedly showed police a Zelle transaction proving she refunded Zaldivar as well as multiple texts supporting her claims, according to the story.
