Florida dental office clerk accused of $79K check fraud scheme

A woman who worked as a dental office clerk in Fort Myers, Fla., was arrested after allegedly writing five fraudulent checks to herself and her husband’s account for $79,662, NBC affiliate WBBH reported Aug. 30.

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Kristen Labrue worked at Pediatric Dentistry of Fort Myers from April to June 2021, according to the report.

The practice owner contacted law enforcement Nov. 2, 2021, about a fraudulent check. He said his bank had called about a check cashed from the business account that was denied after another cashing attempt, WBBH reported.

The practice owner discovered that five fraudulent checks were written from the business account, totaling $79,662, from May to June 2021, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

The checks were made to Kristen Lozano — Ms. Labrue’s maiden name — Kristen Thiessen — a name with which Ms. Labrue had identified in the past — and her husband. The checks were cashed from June 3 to Aug. 3, 2021. Ms. Labrue stopped coming to work around June 18, 2021, WBBH reported.

Ms. Labrue is facing several charges of grand theft, deposit with intent to defraud and criminal use of personal identification information, according to the sheriff’s office.

According to the sheriff’s office, Ms. Labrue was also arrested in October 2021 after allegedly stealing $100,000 from The Colony at Pelican Landing Foundation.

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