COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has learned two women accused of posing as dentists in Austell were arrested Tuesday.
A patient identified as Lima Banciu said she wanted to save money in January on a root canal procedure and through word of mouth, was recommended to see Carolina Rojas Morales, 40.
She thought she was getting a great deal because the usually expensive procedure only cost her $500, but she said she ended up in so much pain after the root canal procedure that her family called the police.
Morales and Bianca Zambrano-Blanco, 35, were charged with practicing dentistry without a license. Morales was also charged with aggravated battery.
"I just don’t want this to happen to anybody else. I know she’s preying on the people who don’t have the money to do this," Lima Banciu's husband, Ruben Banciu, said. "(Morales) said she had all the licenses. All the insurance. She’s been doing it a long time."
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Ruben Banciu said his wife went back to the office a week later and demanded her money back. He said another patient was also in the office at the time.
"(Lima) said this woman’s face was completely swollen. She was constantly crying," Ruben Banciu said.
Ruben Banciu said he filed a report with police, who launched a criminal investigation.
Channel 2's Chris Jose drove to Morales' neighborhood in Kennesaw but couldn't get in because it's gated.
A neighbor immediately recognized her picture.
“It just doesn’t surprise me, knowing her,” the neighbor said.
Cobb police said the unlicensed practice dated as far back as 2010, with numerous victims identified. They're asking other patients to come forward with information.
Cox Media Group
