Overall, the Lyon County criminal case involving charges of human smuggling, unlawful dentistry and other counts is moving forward after recent court hearings.
One defendant has accepted a plea agreement and has been sentenced. Martin Pichardo-Machado was originally charged with making false information, marijuana possession and paraphernalia possession. On Monday, Pichardo-Machado pleaded no contest to marijuana possession and was sentenced to time served. The other charges were dropped.
Following a hearing last week, Francisco Pichardo-Machado was set for potential trial dates starting Oct. 6, Oct. 27 or Nov. 17. He is charged with making false information, marijuana possession and paraphernalia possession.
On Monday, Hugo Cardona-Argueta was set for a pretrial hearing now on the docket for Sept. 24. He’s charged with identity theft, interference with law enforcement, marijuana possession and paraphernalia possession.
On Friday, Martha Lopez-Alvarado is set to appear on charges of identity theft, interference with law enforcement, marijuana possession and paraphernalia possession.
The lead defendant, Iris Sandoval-Flores, has a hearing Sept. 12 on charges of stealing dental supplies and prescription drugs from CareArc as well as practicing dentistry or dental hygiene without a license. She also has a preliminary hearing Sept. 15 on charges of human smuggling, identity theft and dealing in false ID documents
Court proceedings have not progressed against three defendants after all allegedly failed to appear in Lyon County District Court earlier this year:
*Rigoberto Sandoval-Sandoval and Ana Raquel Figueroa, charged with unlicensed practice of dentistry or dental hygiene and unlawful obtaining a prescription-only drug
*Edwar Benavidez-Sanchez, listed on the Kansas District Court Public Access Portal as Jerlin Jeovanny Cerna-Arguello, charged with identity theft, identity fraud, making false information and dealing in false ID documents
The larger case, announced in May, accuses the defendants of producing, supplying and using false documents like drivers licenses and Social Security cards, as well as illegally harboring a person illegally possibly for exploitation purposes and having an unlicensed dental operation inside the Sandoval-Flores home between January 2024 and this past spring.
