Hempstead woman charged with practicing unlicensed dentistry from apartment kitchen

Hempstead woman charged with practicing unlicensed dentistry from apartment kitchen

December 11, 2024

MINEOLA, N.Y. — A Hempstead woman has been charged with illegally practicing dentistry out of her one-bedroom apartment, where she allegedly performed tooth extractions and other procedures without a license, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced Tuesday.

Gladys Serrano, 70, was arraigned on one count of unauthorized practice of a profession, a felony. She pleaded not guilty and was released to pre-trial services with electronic monitoring. Judge Charles G. McQuair ordered Serrano to surrender her passport and restricted her from leaving New York State. She is scheduled to appear in court on January 8, 2025.

Prosecutors allege that Serrano extracted five teeth from a victim on July 26, 2024, after a brief visual examination in her makeshift office, located in the kitchen of her apartment on Greenwich Street in Hempstead. A curtain divided the kitchen from the rest of the apartment, and the “office” was equipped with a patient chair near a sink, drawers of used dental instruments, and medication vials.

Serrano allegedly charged the victim $1,950 over multiple visits but failed to provide a functional dental bridge as promised. The victim returned several times between August and December 2024 in an attempt to resolve the issue, but the bridge never fit.

A search warrant executed at Serrano’s residence uncovered numerous dental tools, impression molds, tartar scrapers, used dental needles, and boxes of medications, including Lidocaine and Amoxicillin. State records show Serrano is not licensed to practice dentistry in New York.

“Practicing dentistry without proper authorization poses an incredibly serious risk to public health and safety,” said DA Donnelly. She urged anyone who believes they may have been victimized by Serrano to contact the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Investigative Counsel Jennifer Contreras of the Major Financial Frauds Bureau. Serrano faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Shore News Network

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.