A woman accused of operating an approximately $11 million scheme that defrauded dozens of patients through illegal dental practices in Florida was sentenced to 28 days in county jail and four years of probation, according to a story published on 25 WPBF News.
Evelyn Cruz, 43, was sentenced on January 6 after pleading no contest to grand theft and proprietorship by non-dentists. Also, Cruz, who was born in Peru but resides in Calhoun, GA, was ordered to pay court costs. Additionally, restitution will be paid to victims via forfeited funds. Her probation may be turned over to the Georgia system, according to the story.
In January 2025, Cruz and her husband, Ysmel Cruz, both of whom were not licensed dentists, were arrested for allegedly using 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.
In September 2025, charges were dismissed against Ysmel Cruz after the prosecution opted not to pursue the case against him, according to the story.
In December 2024, Dr. Ivan Pelton, an associate dentist who worked at the practices, was arrested for allegedly being part of Cruz's fraudulent operation from August 2017 to December 2024. In October 2025, the statewide prosecutor dropped charges against Pelton after his death, according to the story.
In 2012, Evelyn 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.
Evelyn Cruz.Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
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.
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 who were over the age of 65, had been defrauded. Investigators claim these patients were swindled out of thousands of dollars over a decade-long scheme.
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, FL.
