A practice manager at a dental service organization (DSO) Heartland Dental practice in Wisconsin allegedly embezzled more than $50,000 from her employer to pay down personal credit card debt, according to a story published on February 7 in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Sarah Kasprzak, 36, who worked as a practice manager of operations at the office in Glendale until she was terminated in 2023, was charged with theft in a business setting and money laundering. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison plus fines.
Between February and August 2023, Kasprzak reportedly embezzled $52,230 from Heartland Dental, one of the largest DSOs in the U.S., by submitting 22 fake invoices to customers, according to the story. In August 2023, Heartland’s regional manager reported a series of suspected fraudulent transactions to police after discovering suspicious activity on client invoices.
For each transaction, a fake invoice for services was posted to an account belonging to a former patient. Then, the invoice was reportedly refunded from Heartland’s financial accounts and credited to one of three personal cards belonging to Kasprzak.
An investigation revealed that Kasprzak was the only employee working during the 22 transactions dates and had access to the records of former patients. Additionally, it was determined that the transactions were allegedly completed using Kasprzak’s employee credentials, according to the story.
Kasprzak purportedly had stolen the money to reduce her personal credit card liabilities stemming from charges she made at restaurants and retailers. She reportedly admitted to taking the money because she was going to “lose everything” and planned on paying it back, according to the story.
