A New York woman arrested in 2025 for allegedly running an illegal dental business from a home was indicted for hiring a hitman to murder a person who complained about the dental care she provided, according to multiple news stories.
Yolany Mejia Carranza, 56, was arrested in March 2025 for unlicensed dentistry along with Daniel Kersey, 35, and Aldo Esmizadeh, 70. The trio was indicted for allegedly murdering 23-year-old Byron Martinez in August 2022.
Carranza and Kersey were indicted for first-degree murder and other related charges. Esmizadeh was charged with conspiracy for allegedly arranging the murder for hire, according to the stories.
Carranza and Kersey are being held in jail without bail. If they are convicted of first-degree murder, each faces up to life in prison without parole. Esmizadeh was arraigned, and his bail was set at $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the most serious conspiracy charge.
In 2022, Carranza provided an unlicensed dental operation to Martinez’s mother at the illegal practice she was running out of her Huntington Station, NY, home. Martinez's mother developed serious complications following the procedure and learned that fixing the botched procedure would require thousands of dollars, according to the stories.
Martinez’s mother demanded a refund and told Carranza that her son had a video of Carranza performing the dental procedure. The mother threatened to show the video to the police if she wasn’t reimbursed.
Following the threat, Carranza is accused of approaching Esmizadeh and asking if he knew someone who would "hurt" people. Esmizadeh is accused of referring Carranza to Kersey. In July 2022, Kersey allegedly agreed to threaten and physically harm Martinez and his mother in exchange for money, according to the stories.
After Kersey allegedly failed to follow through on the agreement, Carranza became impatient. Carranza allegedly told Kersey that she wanted Martinez and his mother dead and wouldn’t pay until they were murdered, according to the stories.
Carranza and Esmizadeh reportedly determined where Martinez and his mother lived and gave the address to Kersey.
At approximately 1 a.m. on August 2, 2022, police responded to shots fired outside the Martinez home. Byron Martinez was found lying in the entrance to the home with a gunshot wound to his upper back. He was pronounced dead at the scene, but his mother was unharmed, according to the stories.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
