Dental embezzler gets nine months of electronic home monitoring.
May 2016 – The former manager of a dental office in Bothell, Washington is facing felony charges in connection with false insurance claims and for fraudulently collecting unemployment insurance payments.
The King County Superior Court charged Josie Morey, 50, of Mukilteo, with one count of first-degree theft and two counts of second-degree theft following a probe by the special investigations unit (SIU) of Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler.
According to the SIU, Morey worked for the dental clinic from May 2011 to November 2013. During that period, suspicious billing transactions led to a criminal probe that identified $4,400 in stolen client payments.
The investigation also revealed multiple charges to Washington Dental Service on behalf of one patient for treatments the dentist did not provide. The unnecessary billings amounted to $1,700, depleting the patient’s yearly benefit amount.
Washington’s Employment Security Department (ESD) also investigated Morey’s employment from May 2011 to June 2012, when Morey was collecting unemployment insurance payments.
The probe found that Morey illegally collected more than $32,000 in unemployment benefits for 59 weeks she was employed at the dental clinic.
“Unemployment insurance fraud takes valuable dollars that should be spent on those who are truly unemployed,” said ESD Commissioner Dale Peinecke, adding that Morey will have to repay all the money that she collected.
Morey is set to appear before the court on May 16 to enter a plea to the charges filed against her.
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