A 45-year-old dental office manager has been arrested for allegedly performing procedures on unsuspecting, uninsured patients for a cash discount while the dentist was away, and purposely scheduling procedures for them when she knew the doctor would be out of the office.
Authorities said Valbona Yzeiraj, of White Plains, was arrested Thursday following a grand jury indictment earlier this month. The Albanian-born woman pleaded not guilty to charges of assault, unauthorized practice of a profession and reckless endangerment at her arraignment later in the day.
Prosecutors allege the woman acted as a dentist at Ultimate Dental Care of Riverdale in the Bronx, one of three offices within the practice, while the licensed dentist was on vacation or out of the office and offered patients procedures at a discount for cash payments.
Yzeiraj was employed as an office manager at the facility; she is not licensed to practice dentistry in the state of New York.
Authorities allege Yzeiraj performed complex procedures, including root canals, on patients. She also pulled teeth. The alleged fraud came to light when at least four patients complained about complications they suffered after being treated by her, officials say.
Yzeiraj was fired from Ultimate Dental Care when the company found out she had been posing as a dentist from late 2012 to summer 2013, prosecutors said.
She is also accused of stealing $20,000 from her employer.
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Neither the company nor Yzeiraj's attorney have returned messages seeking comment on her arrest.
