Former employee sentenced for stealing from parish, audiology office

Lisa Noble, a 44-year-old former office manager at an audiology practice in Tonawanda, New York, embezzled over $890,000 from the healthcare office between 2016 and 2021. Working in a position of trust handling finances, she exploited her role by engaging in grand larceny, forging instruments, and falsifying business records to siphon funds for her extravagant lifestyle. After the theft was uncovered, she was fired following an investigation, prompting a grand jury indictment and a fugitive warrant.

Noble fled to North Carolina, where U.S. Marshals arrested her in March 2024 under an alias. Extradited back to Western New York, she pleaded guilty to 11 felony counts, including multiple grand larcenies, and was sentenced in 2024 to 8 to 19 years in prison as a second felony offender. She signed confessions of judgment for $890,723.08 in restitution to the audiology practice but has paid nothing back. This case underscores the risks of unchecked financial access in small practices; owners can learn to implement regular audits, segregate duties, monitor accounts closely, and conduct background checks to detect and prevent such insider theft early.