Embezzler in optometric practice receives 10-year sentence for stealing $100,000
Source: Optical Journal
A former longtime employee of a Lansing Township optometry practice was accused of stealing more than $100,000 in cash over several years, according to the article. The employee, Lorraine Z. Montalvo, used her position inside the practice to siphon funds gradually, taking advantage of routine access to patient payments and office money.[2]
The theft was ultimately uncovered by investigators, leading to a guilty plea and a 10-year sentence for the embezzlement case. For practice owners, the case highlights the importance of basic internal controls such as separating payment handling from bookkeeping, reconciling deposits regularly, and reviewing employee access to cash and accounting records to reduce the chance of long-term theft.[2]
How to Protect Your Optometry Practice
- Keep retail sales, refunds, and deposit preparation in separate hands so no one controls the full cash cycle.
- Perform regular physical inventory counts of frames, lenses, and contacts and reconcile them to recorded sales.
- Review every refund, discount, and voided point-of-sale transaction, and require manager approval above a set threshold.
- Reconcile insurance and vision-plan payments to deposits monthly instead of assuming the ledger is accurate.
- Use continuous monitoring like Dolos to catch POS manipulation and inventory shrinkage as it occurs.
Protect Your Practice from Employee Fraud
Cases like this happen every day. Dolos helps healthcare practices detect and prevent internal fraud before it costs you thousands.
Schedule a Demo