A Cleveland business owner behind a Shaker Heights cosmetic dental shop is now staring down a stack of criminal charges, accused of running an unlicensed dental and orthodontic operation that prosecutors say pulled in more than $400,000. A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted her Monday on a mix of fraud and regulatory counts, with an arraignment set later this month in county court.
According to WKYC and a release from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, 37-year-old Jazemen Lyons owned and operated the business known as the Smile Lounge from 2022 through 2025. Prosecutors say the shop offered cosmetic procedures and orthodontic services without a licensed dentist on staff.
Indictment Lists Fraud, Laundering and More
The indictment filed in Cuyahoga County includes two counts of telecommunications fraud, two counts of money laundering, one count of possessing criminal tools, one count of trademark counterfeiting, and one count related to prohibitions concerning pure food and drugs, according to prosecutors. They also allege the Smile Lounge operation generated in excess of $400,000.
Lyons is scheduled for arraignment on May 18 at 8:30 a.m. in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, according to Cleveland 19. Prosecutors are expected to begin laying out their evidence in that initial hearing and in subsequent court appearances.
Customers Say They Were Harmed
The criminal case was preceded by complaints from former customers, including at least one woman who spoke publicly in 2025 about what she says happened after getting composite veneers at the Smile Lounge. "I do not want to smile anymore," she told Cleveland 19, saying she paid more than $3,000 and then dealt with repeated breakage and painful repairs.
That patient and others have said they filed complaints with the Ohio Dental Board, arguing they were left with damaged teeth after trusting the Shaker Heights shop with their smiles.
What Prosecutors Say and Next Steps
Lexi Bauer, communications manager for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, called the case an outlier. "We have never had a case like this before. Enough said," Bauer told WKYC.
The criminal prosecution will move forward separately from any civil lawsuits or licensing actions handled by the Ohio Dental Board. Patients who believe they were harmed can pursue regulatory complaints or sue in civil court in addition to following the criminal case.
The court docket will become public after the arraignment, which should offer a clearer roadmap of how prosecutors plan to proceed when Lyons appears in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on May 18.
