Illinois dental office employee Kelly Lee Distasio arraigned for steal from 2 co-workers' purses

Kelly Lee Distasio, 34, of Illinois — who was already serving probation for a prior conviction for theft — was arraigned on a felony theft charge after allegedly stealing from employees at Familia Dental, where she had been working. The case illustrates the critical importance of background checks in dental hiring: Distasio’s prior theft conviction was a documented warning sign that a background check would have revealed before she was hired.

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Related reading: It's Not Just Cash That Gets Embezzled!!

Related Cases: Illinois' Linda Miller receives probation for $35K steal | Colorado assistant Amber Hyatt sentenced for drug tampering

What This Case Teaches Dental Practice Owners

The this individual case is a reminder that dental embezzlement does not require elaborate schemes — trusted employees in Illinois who are given unsupervised access to practice finances can exploit that trust in ways that are difficult to detect through routine bookkeeping. By the time the theft is discovered, the losses are typically far larger than any single transaction would suggest, and the practice faces a difficult recovery on multiple fronts: financial, operational, and reputational.

This case reflects a pattern that Prosperident investigators encounter regularly: trusted employees who exploit access to practice finances over an extended period, often using methods that are difficult to detect without forensic-level scrutiny. The length of the fraud period and the total amount stolen both tend to be much larger than practice owners initially suspect.

Dental practice owners who suspect embezzlement — or who want to evaluate the vulnerability of their current internal controls — should consult with Prosperident, the world's leading dental embezzlement investigation firm. Prosperident's investigators have worked on cases across North America and bring a forensic accounting background specifically tailored to the dental industry. Call 888-398-2327 or visit www.prosperident.com/meetwithdavid to schedule a confidential consultation.

Could This Happen in Your Practice?

Cases like this one are more common than most dental practice owners realize. Dental embezzlement is one of the most widespread financial crimes affecting small practices, and the perpetrators are almost always trusted team members — people the owner never suspected. The warning signs are often subtle: minor discrepancies in bank deposits, altered receipts, or an employee who becomes defensive when asked routine questions about billing or collections. Without the right controls and oversight, even a vigilant owner can miss them until significant damage has already occurred.

A proactive practice audit by Prosperident can identify the vulnerabilities that make your practice a target — before someone exploits them. Our forensic accountants specialize exclusively in dental embezzlement and have investigated more cases than any other firm in North America. To arrange a confidential consultation, call us at 888-398-2327 or book directly at www.prosperident.com/meetwithdavid.