MIAMI – Prosecutors dropped charges against five South Florida dental clinic workers who were accused of fraud in April.
Mercedes Linares, 53, of Hollywood; Christi Olson, 47, of Hialeah; Leonardo Ramos, 22, of Hialeah Gardens; Leonel Ravelo, 34, of Hialeah and Ryon Vazquez, 33, of Miami had all faced felony counts in what authorities had described as a $1.3 million insurance fraud scheme — dubbing their investigation the “Tooth Fairy Heist.”
Miami-Dade prosecutors dropped the case the following month, court records show.
Now the company at the center of the case is publicly fighting back, saying it — and the five employees — were victims of a potentially politically-motivated investigation.
A spokesperson for AC Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontic referenced claims raised by the group’s defense attorneys in an article published by news website Florida Bulldog earlier in November.
Source: Charges dropped in Miami-Dade ‘Tooth Fairy Heist’ dental fraud case / local10.com