VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Virginia Beach woman accused of doing illegal dental work on people in the community had her preliminary hearing in court on Friday.
News 3 has been following this case since it broke.
Cristine Caro-Valencia listened in court as a witness describes his account of two alleged dental procedures that happened back in May of 2021.
Through an interpreter, he said he got her number from a friend and went to see her about painful molars.
He testified that she said he had an infection and she could clean his teeth.
He claimed that he sat in a chair, had him wear glasses and used something that felt like a drill and used needles to numb his mouth.
He said he went back a few days later because the pain was so bad.
Two receipts were entered into evidence Friday.
He said he went back a third time because the pain was still so extreme. That’s when he said she referred him to a dentist.
News 3 met up with her and her attorney after court. Defense attorney Anton Karpov said at this point they don't want to comment on the specifics of the ongoing case. He said that his client was operating a legal dental lab and that the man who testified in court wasn’t hurt by his client and she would never harm anyone.
"It’s a nightmare for this law-abiding couple to live through this because they’re not hurting anybody, they don’t want to hurt anybody ever," said Karpov.
Karpov said they look forward to the future proceedings and that the truth will come out.
"My client is asserting her innocence at this time," he said.
He said he wants justice to be served.
Court records previously obtained by News 3 outlined how police got an anonymous tip saying that she was doing dental work on people in the Hispanic community. Records stated that for months police were monitoring the business going through the trash and collecting evidence.
She was accused of practicing dentistry without a license.
The case will be certified to a grand jury after the judge determined Friday there was enough evidence to move forward.
