Rebecca Gutierrez — Hastings and Havlik Dentistry — Mattoon, Illinois

Rebecca Gutierrez — Hastings and Havlik Family Dentistry, Mattoon, Illinois

Rebecca Gutierrez, 50, of Charleston, Illinois, pleaded guilty on July 9, 2026 to five federal counts of wire fraud connected to a scheme that funneled close to $900,000 out of Hastings and Havlik Family Dentistry in Mattoon over more than five years, while she worked as the practice's office manager.

Gutierrez had been employed at the practice since 2019 and was promoted to office manager roughly a year later — around the same time prosecutors say the embezzlement began. Using her access to the practice's checking account at First Mid Bank and Trust, she routed money into her personal Discover card account as often as five times a month, a pattern that continued from June 2020 until September 30, 2025.

The case was originally investigated by Coles County authorities, who charged Gutierrez with theft after estimating the loss at between $500,000 and $1,000,000. State prosecutors initially pursued the case locally, and Gutierrez pleaded not guilty and requested a jury trial. Because the practice's bank routed transfers through out-of-state servers, federal prosecutors later took over the case in February 2026, filing wire fraud charges that carry substantially higher potential penalties than the original state theft charge. The state charges were vacated once the federal case proceeded, and a closer accounting narrowed the loss estimate to approximately $900,000.

Each of the five wire fraud counts Gutierrez pleaded guilty to corresponds to a specific fraudulent transfer. She is scheduled to be sentenced on November 26, 2026.

After discovering the theft, Hastings and Havlik Family Dentistry terminated Gutierrez's employment and cooperated with investigators. Dr. Myles J. Hastings said in a statement at the time that the practice remained committed to its patients throughout the case.

Charges

• Wire Fraud (five federal counts)

Source

Mattoon Dental Office Manager Pleads Guilty To Five Counts Of Federal Wire Fraud — MyRadioLink.com, July 9, 2026

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