A man in Rishon Lezion was indicted for illegally establishing and operating a dental clinic called V-Dent in the city for nine years, the State Prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday.
The 55-year-old man was operating the clinic without authorization and without a license to practice dentistry, the statement read. He received 38 charges, including committing offenses of receiving something by fraud under aggravated circumstances, causing serious injury, assault, practicing dentistry illegally, forgery under aggravated circumstances, and tax offenses and insolvency.
The accused, identified as Vitaly Rokhlenko, targeted immigrants from the former Soviet Union who didn’t speak Hebrew, charging them 50% of the market price for his services.
In some instances, Rokhlenko caused irreparable damage to his patients, including tooth loss, prolonged pain, and impairment of daily functioning.
He also performed various invasive treatments on his patients, including extractions, root canal treatments, and gum surgeries, using anesthetics that are permitted for medical use only.
Rokhlenko operated his clinic with only a dental technician’s practical license, which authorized him to work in a laboratory and under the supervision of a senior dental technician, and only according to a dentist’s prescription.
According to the investigation, Rokhlenko signed a written statement during a Health Ministry inspection stating that the clinic would be staffed by a qualified dentist, but this never happened.
In addition, the Prosecution’s investigation revealed that he filed for insolvency, made false statements about his occupation and income, and concealed that he continued to operate the clinic, which was still generating significant income totaling hundreds of thousands of shekels.
He is also accused of tax offenses totaling over NIS 3 million, after failing to properly report his income over the years.
