Oklahoma dental assistant Marina Lewis arrested for steal from practice -6 other convictions.

Marina Lewis, a dental assistant in Oklahoma, was arrested for theft from the dental practice where she worked. At the time of her arrest, Lewis had six prior convictions — a history that only came to light after the practice discovered money was missing.

This case illustrates one of the most important lessons in dental embezzlement prevention: a meaningful background check before hiring, and periodic re-checks for employees in positions of financial trust, are among the least expensive protections a practice owner can buy. Serial offenders gravitate toward small healthcare offices precisely because hiring there is often informal and reference checks are cursory.

Editor’s note: the original news coverage of this arrest is no longer available online; this summary reflects the case as documented at the time of publication.