Dentist Finder San Diego

The former office manager of a Washington dental clinic was sentenced to seven years in prison for stealing more than $560,000 from the practice and illegally obtaining prescription painkillers, according to a story in the Columbian.

Michaelee Roehrs, 66, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree theft and seven counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. The charges relate to her embezzling money from Sheron Dental between 2001 and 2008.

Roehrs forged prescriptions for narcotics using the names of dead relatives. She also deposited checks into her personal bank account and offered fake discounts to patients in order to get them to pay with cash, he said.

The embezzlement was uncovered in March 2008 after a new office worker looked at the business records and realized something was amiss. The dentist hired a forensic accountant, who could only research records back to 2001, when a new software program was installed (Roehrs worked at the office for over 20 years).

Sheron Dental won a lawsuit in June 2008 that found Roehrs civilly liable for $562,239. Criminal charges were filed in July. Roehrs has paid $20,000 so far in restitution, but Clark County Deputy Prosecutor Jeannie Bryant said the victims don’t expect the financially strapped defendant to pay much more.