Yesterday, Miguel Pizano was sentenced to four years in prison for stealing and later selling $146,000 worth of dental equipment, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.
A joint investigation by the Food and Drug Administration, the Roselle Police Department and the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office found that Pizano, along with an unknown accomplice, stole four dental imagers from Planmeca, a dental supply company located in Roselle, Illinois (IL) in 2012. He later sold the equipment to a company in Mexico for $31,000.
“Not only did Mr. Pizano’s attempt to fence $140,000 worth of high-tech dental equipment land him in jail for the next four years, it also caused great hardship to Planmeca,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.
Pizano was out on bail since his arrest, but was taken into custody after pleading guilty to the crime. He has been ordered to pay $146,000 to Planmeca.
Cases Like This Are Far More Common Than Most Dentists Realize.
Most dental embezzlement goes undetected for years—and the average loss is in the tens of thousands of dollars. Prosperident's First Look Financial Review can tell you right now whether your practice has a problem.