Expand / Collapse search
☰
Flood Warning
from SAT 2:41 PM MST until MON 8:00 AM MST, Maricopa County
5
Flood Warning
from SAT 3:52 PM MST until MON 7:45 AM MST, Maricopa County
Flood Watch
from SAT 11:00 PM MST until MON 5:00 AM MST, Eastern Cochise County below 5000 ft including Douglas/Wilcox, Upper Gila River and Aravaipa Valleys including Clifton/Safford, Southeast Pinal County including Kearny/Mammoth/Oracle, Western Pima County including Ajo/Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Dragoon/Mule/Huachuca and Santa Rita Mountains including Bisbee/Canelo Hills/Madera Canyon, Tucson Metro Area including Tucson/Green Valley/Marana/Vail, Tohono O'odham Nation including Sells, Baboquivari Mountains including Kitt Peak, Upper San Pedro River Valley including Sierra Vista/Benson, Chiricahua Mountains including Chiricahua National Monument, Galiuro and Pinaleno Mountains including Mount Graham, Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains including Mount Lemmon/Summerhaven, White Mountains of Graham and Greenlee Counties including Hannagan Meadow, South Central Pinal County including Eloy/Picacho Peak State Park, Upper Santa Cruz River and Altar Valleys including Nogales, Northwest Plateau, Lake Havasu and Fort Mohave, North Phoenix/Glendale, Aguila Valley, Mazatzal Mountains, Tonopah Desert, Gila Bend, San Carlos, East Valley, Northwest Pinal County, Northwest Valley, Southeast Valley/Queen Creek, Globe/Miami, Deer Valley, Fountain Hills/East Mesa, Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, Buckeye/Avondale, Tonto Basin, Rio Verde/Salt River, South Mountain/Ahwatukee, Dripping Springs, Southeast Gila County, Pinal/Superstition Mountains, Scottsdale/Paradise Valley, New River Mesa, Sonoran Desert Natl Monument, West Pinal County, Superior, Cave Creek/New River, Central Phoenix, Yavapai County Mountains, Little Colorado River Valley in Navajo County, Western Mogollon Rim, Coconino Plateau, Yavapai County Valleys and Basins, Oak Creek and Sycamore Canyons, Grand Canyon Country, Little Colorado River Valley in Coconino County, Marble and Glen Canyons, Northern Gila County, White Mountains, Kaibab Plateau, Eastern Mogollon Rim, Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County
Wind Advisory
from SUN 8:00 AM MST until SUN 11:00 PM MST, Eastern Mogollon Rim, White Mountains, Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County, Little Colorado River Valley in Navajo County, Little Colorado River Valley in Coconino County
Flood Watch
from SUN 12:00 AM MDT until MON 5:00 AM MST, Chinle Valley, Chuska Mountains and Defiance Plateau, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Hwy 264, Black Mesa Area, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas Hwy 264 Northward

Woman charged with posing as a dental hygienist for years in the South Bay

By Sharon Song
KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco
Crime and Public Safety
Published May 17, 2022 1:33 PM MST
Published May 17, 2022 1:33 PM MST
Elizabeth Larijani article

Elizabeth Larijani, 50, was arrested in Arizona, accused of fraudulently impersonating a dental hygienist for at least five years in San Jose and Campbell. (Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office)

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Santa Clara County prosecutors on Tuesday announced the arrest of a 50-year-old woman suspected of illegally posing as dental hygienist for years in the South Bay.

The district attorney’s office said Elizabeth "Mina" Larijani faced felony charges, accused of both working at and attempting to work at more than 10 dental offices from 2015 to 2020. Investigators believed she fraudulently worked as a dental hygienist in offices in San Jose and Campbell. 

Investigators located Larijani, who also went by the name Elizabeth Garcia Costilla, in Glendale, Arizona. They said she was working as a dental hygienist there, but it's unclear if she had secured her job in Arizona legally.      

Larijani was extradited to San Jose for her arraignment on Friday, when a judge set bail at $40,000. She was released from custody on Monday after posting bail. 

SEE ALSO: Suspects in San Jose baby kidnapping tried three times before, DA says

SEE ALSO: South Bay woman who faked cancer for donations gets 5 years in prison

To practice as a registered dental hygienist in California, a person must complete an approved educational program, pass both written and clinical examinations, and apply for a license with the Dental Hygiene Board of California.

Investigators said Larijani often faked her credentials by using the stolen identity of an actual licensed dental hygienist.

They said when employers questioned her qualifications, she would evade the situation by moving to another dental office. 

"The last thing someone needs to be worrying about is whether the person cleaning their teeth, or using anesthetics, is licensed to do that work," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. "We are grateful to the Dental Board investigators who brought these violations to our attention, and to the law enforcement agencies in Arizona who assisted us in locating the defendant."

Larijani’s next court date was scheduled for June 13.

There’s no word on whether anyone was injured as a result of the allegations. The district attorney’s office asked anyone with information about the case to contact criminal investigator with the DA’s office Krissi Durant at (408) 792-2567.

Crime and Public SafetyCaliforniaNews