"Dr. Val" indicted on new charges for fake Bronx dental practice

NEW YORK -- A woman who called herself "Dr. Val" and was indicted last year for practicing dentistry without a license in the Bronx now faces additional charges in the case.

Valbona Yzeiraj, 46, who is accused of performing extractions and root canals despite lacking a license, has pleaded not guilty on new charges that followed a further investigation. Yzeiraj was initially charged in April and pleaded not guilty to five counts.

According to the new indictment, in April 2013 a patient found "Dr. Val" through the 1-800-DENTIST call center and she told him he needed a root canal. She is accused of then injecting him with anesthetics a total of 19 times and charging him $900 for the privilege.

The Bronx District Attorney's office claims Yzeiraj lied to patients about having had dental training in her home country of Albania, but was neither trained nor licensed in the United States.

She allegedly treated patients where she worked as an office manager for Dr. Jeffrey Schoengold, who practiced in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, during hours when the doctor wasn't in.

Dr. Schoengold fired her when he found out what she'd been doing, according to the DA's office, but she allegedly attempted to take money from the practice when she left.

Yzeiraj was released on her own recognizance and was ordered to pay an additional $10,000 in bail at her next appearance, on Feb. 23.

If convicted of the charges, "Dr. Val" faces up to seven years behind bars.