Dentist Finder San Diego

A Temecula bookkeeper, Victoria Lee Wafford, agreed to plead guilty to one count of grand theft for embezzling $1.6 million from the Oceanside dental office where she had worked, a prosecutor said.

In exchange for the guilty plea, she will be sentenced to eight years in prison. She had faced 60 counts related to embezzlement, theft, and prescription drug fraud and could have been sentenced to nearly 50 years in jail if convicted on all counts.

Wafford was accused of writing more than 1,000 checks from Dr. James Hargas’s account to herself and credit card companies from 2001 to 2008.

Dr. Hargas discovered the theft in 2008 when he launched an extensive audit of the books to get personal loans to cover business expenses.

In the accounting books Wafford had listed the payees as dental suppliers and other vendors. Dr. Hargas said he had to borrow against his personal assets three times to make payroll and vendor payments as the number of thefts increased.

Authorities told Dr. Hargas the woman had gambled away much of the money at casinos.

Wafford’s attorney said his client’s theft was motivated by an addiction to prescription drugs.

Wafford will be formally sentenced Nov. 4.

Read the full  story in the North County Times.