A financial clerk for a Texas dentist has been sentenced to spend more than five years in federal prison for using patients' identification to open credit card accounts and stealing cash payments, according to news accounts.
David S. Pedley, D.D.S., of Brownsville said the ID thefts nearly destroyed his practice and affected the credit of some patients, the Brownsville Herald reported.
Claire Batsell pleaded guilty to charges that included fraudulent use of dental patient identification information and aggravated identity theft. She was sentenced to 69 months in federal prison.
From May 2006 to July 2007, Batsell used patient information to open and bill credit card accounts for services and pocketed cash payments made by the patients, the story said. She was fired after the crimes were discovered, according to the Herald.
Dr. Pedley said he was unaware of Batsell's scheme and that the thefts "imposed a huge financial burden on me and my family," the paper reported.
