BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Evelyn Cruz appeared in court today, and is accused of defrauding dental patients out of thousands over the course of a decade, via illegally-run clinics.
Jason Tuszynski, who went to the clinic throughout 2021, said he originally went to replace a crown and fill a cavity. But he said he saw “red flags” when the dentist told him 14 teeth needed treatment.
“I remember the head dentist was literally leaned up against the chair with the pliers trying to crack this tooth out,” said Tuszynski. “It was probably the most nerve racking [thing] of the entire experience.”
He said he spent $7,000 on various medical bills, which required a payment plan. Then, Tuszynski said his bill showed he was charged for procedures and appointments that never occurred.
“I think the most frustrating part for me was how many times I had to come in, the inexperience of the dentists that were there and the financial obligation,” Tuszynski said.
Boynton Beach
Dental patients defrauded out of thousands of dollars, detectives say
Detectives with the Florida Department of Financial Services said Tuszynski was overcharged about $1,400. The detectives said he was 1 of 80 different patients defrauded.
According to court records, detectives said the Secretary of State Office denied Ysmel and Evelyn “Martinez” Cruz business licenses for dental offices. Those detectives then said the couple used Dr. Ivan Pelton's license with his knowledge to create various offices.
“In a recorded statement, Pelton made a spontaneous utterance that he does not have ownership of any of the Dental Specialists corporations and further elaborated that Evelyn Cruz is the owner,” wrote detective Jerome Rothman. “Pelton was aware Cruz was using his dental license.”
Bankruptcy filings in August 2020 show Pelton owned various dental practices, which agents mention in the probable cause document. This includes Dental Specialists of Boynton Beach, Dental Specialists of Pembroke Pines Group, Dental Specialists of Broward Group and Dental Specialists of Doral Group.
Records show he was in debt worth more than $200,000 after spending money on various consumer goods and almost $50,000 in car loans. The filings in federal court show his financial problems with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) started as early as 2010.
WPTV reached out to Dr. Pelton to learn more about his involvement and motive, which investigators said included accepting payments worth $60,000 for connecting his name and license to the practices across Florida.
He didn’t answer. But his wife, Fern Pelton, said Dr. Pelton worked for the Cruzes and didn’t own the practice before hanging up on WPTV’s Ethan Stein.
According to the Florida Department of Health, Dr. Pelton can still practice in Florida. His license also said he has no complaints.
Since the investigation was done over the last three years, we asked the Florida Board of Dentistry and its chair about the license and we’re waiting to hear back.
