A woman from Muskego, Wis., has been charged with theft and money laundering after allegedly embezzling more than $50,000 from Heartland Dental, according to a Feb. 7 report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Sarah Kasprzak allegedly submitted 22 false invoices to Heartland Dental customers between February and August 2023, according to a criminal complaint the newspaper obtained from the Glendale Police Department. In each case, an invoice allegedly was posted to a former patient's account, then was quickly refunded with the balance being credited to one of Ms. Kasprzak's personal cards.
The company's regional manager reported the series of potentially fraudulent activity to police on Aug. 25.
Investigators discovered that Ms. Kasprzak allegedly used the $52,230 to reduce credit card liabilities for personal expenses, including charges at restaurants, retail stores and Amazon purchases.
Ms. Kasprzak was hired as the practice manager of operations at a Heartland Dental location in March 2016. In the role, she had access to Heartland's financial accounting and invoice system.
Ms. Kasprzak admitted to investigators that she conducted the scheme, the report said.
She was terminated from Heartland on Aug. 26 and is charged with theft in a business setting and money laundering an amount between $10,000 and $100,000. Both charges are felonies that each come with a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment for a maximum of 10 years, the report said.