Benjamin Burris, DDS, surrendered his license after pleading guilty to his role in a bribery scheme involving an Arkansas state senator, according to documents from the Florida Board of Dentistry.
In September 2021, Dr. Burris hired the state senator as an attorney in an attempt to change a law in Arkansas regarding specialist restrictions in dental practice. Dr. Burris admitted that he wanted to hire the state senator as his legal counsel in order to influence the senator.
Dr. Burris was sentenced to a year and one day in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release and was ordered to pay a fine of $157,500.
According to the Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners, Dr. Burris’s dental license expired in Arkansas in 2019.
By voluntarily surrendering his license, Dr. Burris agrees to cease practicing dentistry in Florida immediately.
