Employees accused of performing physical therapy without license, investigators say

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Two employees at an Orange County chiropractic clinic have been arrested after performing physical therapy without a valid license, investigators said.

They were working at the Mauricio Chiropractic on East Colonial Drive in Orlando.

State fraud investigators said the receptionist was performing physical therapy, Channel 9's Cierra Putman learned.

The Florida Chiropractic Association said the state is wrong and the association is trying to get the charges dropped.

"The doctor's great and everything. He really helps my pain. He's great," said patient Madeline Palmer.

Palmer has been seen by both of the accused, Dennis Rosario and Glenda Marie Aviles.

"They're really nice people. They seem to care about you a lot,” Palmer said.

Rosario and Aviles were arrested and charged in December with unlicensed practice of a health care professional.

State investigators said the employees performed physical therapy during part of 2015, but were not registered chiropractic assistants, according to the arrest warrant affidavits.

The paperwork said Aviles was a receptionist and Rosario was an X-ray technician. The two would perform physical therapy when the clinic was busy, investigators said.

Eyewitness News learned Aviles had a license, but it was rendered null and void in 2012.

As of March 2016, Rosario updated his registered chiropractic assistant license, but did not have one at the time of the state's investigation according to court documents.

Eyewitness News tried contacted Rosario and Aviles for comment, but they did not respond.

In a letter to the state, the Florida Chiropractic Association said the two were "improper arrests" "based upon a misinterpretation of Florida statutes." The association said the license in question is not "mandatory."

The state told Eyewitness News in a statement that "the department stands by the facts that were revealed as a result of our investigation."

A lawyer for the Florida Chiropractic Association told Eyewitness News that Rosario and Aviles are still working at the clinic and they didn't do anything wrong.

Cox Media Group