Ex-employee cops plea to embezzling $100K from dental practice

A former employee at a dental practice in Michigan who is accused of stealing $100,000 from her employer to pay for personal purchases pleaded guilty on April 8, according to a story published on April 11 in the Port Huron Times Herald.

Jennifer Malone agreed to plead guilty to a reduced charge of embezzlement for purportedly stealing from Smile Zone Dental in Fort Gratiot, MI, in 2022 and 2023. This charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. However, if Malone is unable to repay the money she reportedly embezzled by her sentencing in June, she may face up to 15 years in prison.

Malone was arrested in October 2023 after the dental practice hired an auditor to review company finances. The auditor accused Malone of using $100,462 in dental practice funds to pay herself cash, make rental car payments, and cover the bill for an unspecified surgery, according to the story.

After the auditor's findings were revealed, county authorities opened their own investigation. The investigation confirmed the auditor's findings that Malone purportedly made several personal purchases that were reported as office supplies, according to the story.

At the time of her arrest, she also had been charged as a habitual offender. In 2021, Malone was convicted of embezzling between $1,000 and $20,000 for using a computer to commit a crime in Oakland County, MI.