A former dental office manager accused of stealing $900,000 over a five-year period from the practice where she worked pleaded guilty on July 9, according to multiple news stories.
Rebecca Gutierrez, 49, pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud -- all of the charges filed against her -- for reportedly taking money from Hastings and Havlik Family Dentistry in Mattoon, IL, and transmitting it through interstate wire communications. She is scheduled to be sentenced in November, according to the stories.
While employed as the office manager between June 2020 and August 2025, Gutierrez purportedly began transferring money from the practice’s business checking account to pay off her credit card debt.
Gutierrez began working at the practice in 2019. She reportedly started stealing from her employer about a year later. She allegedly made one to five transfers from the business account to her credit card accounts per month, according to the stories.
To conceal the approximately $900,000 theft, Gutierrez allegedly altered the practice’s books to reflect fake notes.
Once her employer discovered the alleged theft, Gutierrez was terminated from her position.
