Fake Atlanta Dentist Overcharged with RICO, 113 Counts

Photo of Brandon Dillard from Everything Georgia on X.com.

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A man in Fulton County, Atlanta, has been charged with RICO after performing unlicensed dental services. The details are wilder than authorities originally realized.

The Social Dentist

On October 03, 2024, investigators raided the Atlanta dental office of 31-year-old Brandon Dillard, who they arrested the same day. Less than a month later, a jury indicted him on 113 counts. A RICO charge has now been added, significantly upping the stakes and meaning he could face life behind bars. The charges stem from an allegedly unlicensed veneer practice called A List Smiles Atlanta run by Dillard. Apparently, some of his victims weren’t happy.

As far back as 2021, Dillard had been running his illegitimate practice. Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Kristi Brown spoke with one of the victims. The victim said she paid Dillard $3,000 for partial veneers. She had planned to go back to have more teeth done, but her dentist raised an alarm during a regular cleaning.

Brown’s dentist asked, “Who did this” to your mouth?

During the session, the dentist noticed something was wrong. According to Brown, the victim’s dentist said, “… who did this? You need to be careful. Did he have a dentist certificate?” Unfortunately, she didn’t have answers to any of those questions.

According to the state, “Veneer specialists and technicians do not legally exist in Georgia. Only a licensed dentist can legally perform the veneer procedures Dillard has been offering in Georgia.” They also said Dillard is not a dentist and that his crimes didn’t stop there.

Dillard charged up to $6,000 a session.

Prosecutors also allege Dillard took it further and began training others to do veneers. Even though he himself was unlicensed, his students still paid tuition and took his class. From his illegal services and classes, he supposedly earned over $4 million since 2021. He sometimes charged as much as $6,000 for veneers. It’s unclear if his students or staff knew he was unlicensed and that “veneer specialists and technicians” don’t legally exist in Georgia.

The Charges

WSBTV.com has listed Dillard’s charges found in the Fulton County court records. The indictment lists 113 counts:

• 1 count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act
• 54 counts of theft by deception
• 24 counts of practice of dentistry without a license and 2 counts of practice of medicine without a license
• 21 counts of battery
• 6 counts of possession of dangerous drugs
• 1 count of theft by taking
• 1 count of commercial gambling
• 1 count of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud
• 1 count of conspiracy to defraud political subdivision of the state
• 1 criminal solicitation to commit a felony

Although there are a ton of charges against Brandon Dillard, many of them will likely be dropped, including the RICO charge. What Dillard did was wrong, but as with Young Thug, it wasn’t a RICO violation. There is an argument to be made that Dillard committed RICO the moment he opened a school and trained his first student, but it’s more complex than that. It comes down to Mens Rea, the state of mind.

Dillard’s defense will argue that any students or staff performed routine tasks. They didn’t do anything illegal themselves, so they weren’t conspiring to operate or conceal a criminal conspiracy.

… fake doctors and real doctors have done worse than Dillard

That in mind, the Supreme Court requires the criminal enterprise to have a purpose, relationships and longevity. Dillard’s defense can argue that the only common purpose among all members, dentist, students and staff, was the legal operation of a training facility, not a criminal conspiracy. Also, the public has to stop letting the state excite them with overblown charges.

In the Young Thug case, he was charged with RICO, and the case was a mess on the Government’s side. Young Thug took a plea, but this came only as the threads of the prosecution’s case came undone, as they did with the RICO charges against Diddy. Yes, Diddy did weird things. None of them were RICO. Also, fake doctors and real doctors have done worse than Dillard but faced lighter charges or none.

Millions of families and lives were ruined, but no RICO charges came.

As an example, doctors across America intentionally overprescribed opioids to make more cash. As they facilitated the opioid epidemic, the Sackler family supplied OxyContin. As millions of teens, fathers and mothers became addicted and hundreds of thousands died, the doctors and pharmacies got richer. Millions of families and lives were ruined, but no RICO charges came. Dillard was wrong. He didn’t kill hundreds of thousands or ruin families. He did allegedly make some poor decisions, none of which are RICO.

The Takeaway

31-year-old Atlanta man Brandon Dillard has been arrested for allegedly performing unlicensed dentistry. He faces 113 counts, many of which will likely be dropped. Some of the charges are overblown and a stretch. The exact trial date is unclear. Currently, Dillard is… waiting to have his case heard by a jury of twelve. His bond was denied at a previous hearing, but he was later released.

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