MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A Miami-Dade woman was arrested Wednesday for allegedly running an illegal dental clinic from her home, authorities reported. Investigators discovered a fully operational dental setup and improperly discarded biomedical waste during the probe.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as 54-year-old Karim Selene Cordova Rivera. The arrest followed an investigation by the Medical Crimes Squad, which acted on an anonymous tip to the Florida Department of Health.
According to the complaint, Cordova Rivera, known only as “Karim,” was practicing dentistry without a license at her Brownsville-area residence on Northwest 44th Street.
Authorities confirmed that neither Cordova Rivera nor anyone else at the residence was licensed to practice dentistry in Florida. Detectives scheduled an undercover appointment for a tooth extraction, which Cordova Rivera quoted at $150. She was taken into custody without incident after beginning the procedure.
A search of the home uncovered a fully equipped dental setup in one bedroom. Cordova Rivera admitted she is a licensed dentist in Peru but not in the United States. She also acknowledged purchasing dental supplies—including syringes, gowns, and gauze—online. However, she declined to identify the source of lidocaine, a controlled anesthetic used in dental procedures.
Cordova Rivera faces multiple charges: practicing dentistry without a license, possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, violations of Florida’s litter law, improper disposal of biomedical waste, creating health hazards, and failing to track medical waste. Investigators reportedly recovered human biohazardous waste from the home and surrounding trash bins, which had not been properly labeled or handled by licensed disposal companies.
The Peruvian national is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a total bond of $7,800.