Tag: California

This is why proper background checking is SO important — California dentist who is ordered not to practice uses identity theft to get hired as an associate

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A dentist pleaded no contest Tuesday to felony charges alleging that she performed unnecessary work on several patients in Daly City and then altered a judge’s order and stole someone’s identity to seek other dental jobs during her pending court case, San Mateo County prosecutors said.

Amishi Patel, 43, was a part-time dentist at Campus Heights Dental Care in Daly City, where she performed unnecessary dental work on at least eight patients between April 2014 and May 2015, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

The case came to light when the family of a patient contacted the Dental Board of California, which contacted the state Department of Insurance, which contacted the district attorney’s office about the alleged insurance fraud, Wagstaffe said.

Among the patients was a 16-year-old girl who Patel recommended receive 16 fillings. Patel performed eight of the fillings before the girl’s father became suspicious and took her for a second opinion, prosecutors said.

Three subsequent dentists determined the girl had no signs of cavities, did not need any fillings and said the eight fillings from Patel were so poorly performed that they needed to be replaced, prosecutors said.

Patel was charged this February for the cases in Daly City and a judge ordered her not to practice dentistry as a condition of her release on bail, but investigators eventually learned she had altered the order to make it appear that it had been rescinded days later, prosecutors said.

Content retrieved from: http://www.sfexaminer.com/bay-area-dentist-pleads-no-contest-performing-unnecessary-work-identity-theft/

She used the altered order to get temporary employment as a dentist in Fremont, where she treated four patients.

Patel also called another dentist with a name similar to hers, pretending to be from a dental insurance company, and obtained the dentist’s license number that she then used to apply for several dental jobs in Fremont, including an interview attended by an undercover officer, prosecutors said.

Those cases took place between June and July of this year, Wagstaffe said.

Patel pleaded no contest Tuesday to felony insurance fraud, assault, identity theft and forgery on the condition that she receive a sentence of up to a year in county jail and a referral to mental health court, according to the district attorney’s office.

“She got a very light sentence,” Wagstaffe said of the plea deal, adding that San Mateo County Superior Court Donald Ayoob “had leniency for her because he thinks there are mental issues there.”

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of up to five years in state prison for Patel.

“We think the only mental issue is she’s a fraud,” Wagstaffe said.

The case will return to court on Jan. 12 for an intake conference for the mental health court and to set a sentencing date.

Patel’s defense attorney Jonathan McDougall was not immediately available for comment on the case.

Dentist Accused of Arson to Collect Insurance Proceeds

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RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A Los Angeles-area dentist accused of conspiring to torch his Corona office to collect property insurance payouts is facing more than a dozen felony charges. Dr. Armen Shaant Megerdichian, 51, of Winnetka was arrested Monday and arraigned on 13 felony counts, including filing false insurance claims, concealing facts in the process of filing a claim and grand theft.

Megerdichian pleaded not guilty before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Emma Smith, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for July 11 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

The doctor posted a $600,000 bond and was released from the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside on Monday afternoon.

Megerdichian’s alleged co-conspirator, Jonas Borsca Jr. of Riverside, was arrested and charged last month with filing a fraudulent insurance claim and knowingly preparing a false claim Borsca posted a $35,000 bond and was released from custody prior to his scheduled arraignment.

Another defendant, 57-year-old Cornel Lucaci of Corona, is charged separately with arson, burglary, filing false insurance claims, grand theft, forgery and identity theft.

Lucaci is being held in lieu of $2 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. He’s scheduled to make a pretrial appearance Wednesday at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

The defendants allegedly orchestrated an arson at the Parkridge Dental Spa on Parkridge Avenue in March 2014. The business not only offered dental services, but also therapeutic cosmetic treatments.

The total sum of insurance payments disbursed after the fire was unclear.

Corona Fire Department arson investigators turned up clues that the blaze had been intentionally set, but gathering and processing evidence to justify charges in the case took four years, authorities said.

According to the Dental Board of California, Megerdichian has an active license to practice dentistry. He has no documented prior felony convictions.

Borsca and Lucaci also have no documented priors in Riverside County.

Content Retrieved From: https://www.beckersdental.com/dentists/33835-california-dentist-accused-of-setting-fire-to-practice-to-collect-insurance-pay-out-now-faces-13-felony-charges.html

Los Angeles — Ex-dental office manager sentenced for fraud

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LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A former office manager at a Beverly Hills dental
office was sentenced today to 180 days in county jail for insurance fraud.
Claudia Ventura, 40, also was ordered to complete 200 hours of community
service and five years of formal probation, according to the Los Angeles
County District Attorney’s Office.
Ventura pleaded no contest April 10 to two felony counts of insurance
fraud.
Co-defendant Tom Kalili, who owned and operated a dental office called
Beverly Hills Medical Suites, pleaded no contest April 10 to one felony count
each of insurance fraud and failure to file an income tax return. Kalili, 59,
was sentenced April 29 to one year in county jail and five years of probation,
along with paying just over $786,000 in restitution to various insurance
companies.
The case stemmed from a multi-year joint investigation by state
regulators and tax agents.

Check fraud investigation: Questions arise surrounding California dental office

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Hanford police continue to investigate the case of Platinum Dental, a group named earlier this month in a check-fraud scheme that left several businesses around town with a significant hole in their pockets.

Police investigators say people claiming to be Platinum Dental employees are trying to cash checks bearing the company logo at local retailers. When retailers go to the bank for reimbursement, they are told that the checks are issued from a nonexistent or bad account.

One victim, Harrod’s Market on East Sixth Street, lost more than $1,000 to the bad checks, money that has not been returned since the business was hit in early November. Police say so far four businesses have been taken for about $4,000 and they predict there may be other victims out there.

Police said no arrests have been made regarding these incidents. Department officials said the high volume of cases has slowed down the investigation.

But what started out as a simple case of suspected fraud has since become “very weird,” according to Lt. Pat Crowe.

Platinum Dental’s official Web site describes the group as an “affordable full-service cosmetic dentistry office.” It goes on to say they are a member of “the Better Business Bureau, the American Dental Association, the California Dental Association and the Hanford Chamber of Commerce.”

However, not one of these organizations contacted by The Sentinel claimed any knowledge of the group.

“I’ve never even heard of them,” Chamber of Commerce CEO Hope-Williams Morikawa said earlier this month.

Officials with the California Dental Association said that while their organization normally keeps track of dentists by name, they have never had any registered dentists affiliated with a Platinum Dental company in Hanford.

The city Finance Department says there are no businesses with the name “Platinum Dental” licensed to operate in Hanford.

Only one company is registered with the California Secretary of State’s Web site to operate under the name Platinum Dental, but it’s based out of San Marcos. Officials there said they have no affiliation with Hanford’s Platinum Dental.

Sentinel columnist and Bakersfield attorney Dennis Beaver was asked to look into Platinum Dental and concluded that the group “does not appear to be run as a legitimate business.”

Beaver said he called the company to ask the name of their practicing dentist, only to be immediately disconnected. A return call was answered by a message saying the number was no longer in service.

“I would tell anybody to be cautious about stepping in there,” Beaver said. “Their refusal to answer Sentinel phone calls combined with their peculiar telephone behavior raises a huge red flag to me. We cannot establish their legitimacy with the dental board and, combined with the bad check issue, we have every reason… to be cautious.”

The California Board of Dentistry could find no record of a dental license being issued to Platinum Dental, but an investigator said “this doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. We just have to look into the matter further.”

A Kings County resident who wished to remain anonymous told The Sentinel that her teeth were cleaned at the company’s 425 W. Seventh St. office by a dentist who “only drives down to Hanford on Wednesdays.” She said she didn’t recall the dentist’s name, but that he was based in Fresno.

A Sentinel reporter visited the company’s office on several occasions throughout the month of December and consistently found the location dark, with only a taped paper sign bearing the group’s logo on the door.

A representative of Platinum Dental who did not identify herself answered “no comment” when asked about the company’s possible involvement in check fraud and did not answer repeated return phone calls.

The group could potentially face such charges as the unauthorized practice of medicine, violation of the business and professions code and fraud, according to Beaver.

Content retrieved from: http://hanfordsentinel.com/news/check-fraud-investigation-questions-arise-surrounding-local-downtown-dental-office/article_c534eb8a-f797-55dc-8e8a-b6c416580619.html

San Jose dental receptionist on the lam

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Authorities are searching for a San Jose dental clerk suspected of pocketing patient fees after allegedly scamming an insurance company by faking thousands of dollars worth of dental work and spending her loot on high-end clothes and trips to Reno.

Rochelle Banting faces a $50,000 warrant for felony grand theft, insurance fraud and forgery.

In charge of the billing in two dentists offices over five years, Banting embezzled about $40,000, according to District Attorney Investigator Glenn McGovern.

“You cannot have one person be the only one who understands the billing process,” McGovern said. ” I see this more and more where they trust someone, they are the only one who understand the whole process and they get out of control.”

Banting allegedly scammed her insurance carrier, which was not identified, by filing false claims for her, her husband or her six children, that were directly reimbursed to her. Later, at another dentist’s office, she directly pocketed cash payments from patients, McGovern said.

Banting appears to have left her family and is believed to be currently in hiding.

Do you have questions about embezzlement?  Give Prosperident a call at 888-398-2327 or send an email to requests@dentalembezzlement.com

 

Content retrieved from: http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2011/03/15/san-jose-dental-clerk-suspected-of-scam/

Cold Case Cracked — 1986 California Murder / Embezzlement case solved by retired detective

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When Detective Dan Salcedo retired after more than 16 years investigating homicides for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, he wasn’t “looking to do anything other than [go to the] beach and golf.” But in the summer of 2014, just a few months after he’d left his desk, his old department came calling.The Orange County Sheriff’s Department was initiating a Cold Case Homicide Task Force, and they wanted to hire back a few retired investigators to work part-time and head up the team. It was an offer Salcedo, who has more than 200 homicide investigations under his belt, couldn’t resist. He was back, at least a few days a week, as a “part-time retired cold case homicide task force investigator,” as he tells LAist.

On March 7, 1986, Dr. Cedric Horn, a 77-year-old dentist, left his home for a business meeting in Northern California, with plans to also visit his daughter in Oregon. Horn never returned. His family members reported him missing on March 13, 1986. His body was never found, although his car did surface in Houston several weeks after he’d been reported missing.

According to the O.C. Register, a neighbor claimed at the time that Horn believed that one of his business partners, along with some of his money, had gone missing shortly before his own disappearance.

Steven White, a business associate of Horn’s, was identified as a person of interest in the case early on, but White had disappeared from Orange County shortly thereafter and the case had been gathering dust ever since.

The Cedric Horn case—which had been cold for nearly three decades—was one of the first that Dan Salcedo looked at when he returned to the force. Salcedo began to pour over the original case book, which had been assembled by the investigators who’d worked on the case in 1986 and 1987. Steven White’s name had been mentioned as a person of interest then, but “him disappearing from Orange County and not wanting to be contacted by our guys” had slowed things down.

On Dec. 12, 1987, White had been convicted by a Florida jury for murdering another business associate in April 1987, and had been in a Florida prison facility ever since.

“Really not much had been initiated, as far as his involvement in the Cedric Horn case,” Salcedo told LAist. But Salcedo pushed on, he found “some things that the guys back in the day had gathered that pointed to Steven White possibly being responsible for the disappearance.” Salcedo was not able to share details, but he said the evidence was sufficient enough for him and his partner to request a trip to Florida to speak with White about the case.

Salcedo and his partner William Griffin—another retired O.C. detective who had returned to the Cold Case task force part-time—traveled to Florida in May 2015.

After coordinating with Florida prison officials, Salcedo and Griffin went in to meet White, who is now 66. The suspect was “very cordial and very soft-spoken,” according to Salcedo.

If anyone could get a confession out of White, it would be Salcedo. In an O.C. Register story about his retirement, Saucedo’s colleagues and supervisors praised his “old-fashioned detective work,” saying he did his best “when sitting across the table from suspects or knocking on doors. More specifically, the detective was blessed with, as his last supervisor described it, ‘the gift of gab.'” Another supervised compared him to Columbo, the famously chatty ’70s-era television detective.

Griffin and Salcedo were cautiously optimistic as they went in to speak with White. They’d come a long way, but the case was still nearly three decades old, and they had no way of knowing if White would be cooperative, as Salcedo told LAist. They needn’t have worried.

“[White] let us know what the circumstances were both prior to and following Cedric Horn’s death, and that he was solely responsible for it,” Salcedo said.

“I don’t know that without us going here he would have ever confessed to anyone what he had done, ” Salcedo said, adding that he considers their trip to talk to him “well worth it.”

White arrived in California Wednesday, and made his first appearance in a Santa Ana courtroom this afternoon. Because White is already serving 25 years to life in his Florida sentence, he now faces a “special circumstance allegation of committing another murder,” meaning he would face at least life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of Horn’s murder, according to City News Service.

It’s believed that White befriended Horn to try and convince Horn to enter into business dealings with him, and White is accused of gaining access to Horn’s bank accounts and fraudulently transferring funds from Horn’s account into his own, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. White was charged with Horn’s murder shortly after Salcedo and Griffin returned from Florida, but he fought extradition charges, which is why it took almost a year for him to be brought to California.

“There certainly is a satisfaction in it,” Salcedo said.

Do you have questions about embezzlement?  Give Prosperident a call at 888-398-2327 or send an email to requests@dentalembezzlement.com

Content retrieved from: http://laist.com/2016/04/28/cold_case_murder.php

Drugs, Burglary and Embezzlement in California

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Do you have questions about embezzlement?  Give Prosperident a call at 888-398-2327 or send an email to requests@dentalembezzlement.com

 

fonda-rae-underwood-mugshot-37072520-400x800

 

Suspect First Name

FONDA
 Suspect Last Name

UNDERWOOD
 Suspect Middle Name

RAE
Aliases
Date of Birth

 Arrest Date

12-12-2013 10:40:00
 Age

 Sex

Female
 Race

Black
 Ethnicity
Height

5’10”
 Weight

220lbs
 Hair

Black
 Eye

Brown
 Place of Birth

California
Address

 State

California
Total Bond

150000
 Booking Date

12/12/2013 16:14
 Location
Summary

Lake County Law Enforcement arrested Fonda Rae Underwood on December 12, 2013. The charge against Underwood is POSS CONTRL SUBS PARAPH, POSS CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, BURGLARY:FIRST DEGREE, EMBEZZLEMENT [OVER $950], a M. She weighs 220lbs with black hair and brown eyes;

Embezzlement isn’t always about stealing money — sometimes it is information

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Patti Cantor

‘Extreme Makeover’ dentist sues former hygienist for allegedly using confidential info

A Century City cosmetic dentist with celebrity clients is suing one of his former longtime hygienists and a dental competitor, alleging they are using confidential information belonging to the plaintiff to attract patients to their office.

Bill Dorfman, who has been dubbed “America’s Dentist” and was featured on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover,” filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court against dentist Michael Kosdon and his company, Kosdon Cosmetic Dentistry, and the hygienist, Patti Cantor. The suit alleges breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets, unfair business practices and conversion.

The complaint seeks unspecified damages as well as a court order enjoining Cantor and Kosdon from continuing to try and lure Dorfman’s patients to their office.

A call left at Kosdon’s Beverly Hills office Friday was not immediately returned.

Dorfman’s clients have included Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson, Usher, Ozzy Osbourne, Anne Hathaway and Eva Longoria. The lawsuit does not state whether they or any other famous patients are among those Cantor has allegedly solicited.

The complaint states that Dorfman hired Cantor in 1995 to clean patients’ teeth and perform other dental-related services. In 2004, Cantor signed an agreement to not disclose confidential office information or provide information to competitors, the suit states.

Despite her promises, Cantor transferred patient names and their personal information from her desktop computer at Dorfman’s office over a period of several months until the plaintiff found out about the alleged breach in August, the suit states. Dorfman then immediately fired Cantor, according to his lawsuit.

Cantor did not deny the allegations and “quietly left the office,” the suit states. However, she then began sending emails and calling Dorfman’s patients, stating that she was now working for Kosdon and providing information on how to contact her there, the suit states.

Some of Dorfman’s patients have told them they were upset that Cantor obtained their private information without their consent, the suit states.

Cantor ignored a letter sent to her and Kosdon by Dorfman’s lawyers demanding that they stop soliciting Dorfman’s clients and return the patient list the hygienist allegedly took, according to the complaint. Dorfman also asked Kosdon to tell Cantor to stop contacting the plaintiff’s clients and to decline to treat any clients obtained through her solicitations, the suit states.

“For almost two months after the demand was made on … Kosdon, Dorfman’s demands were ignored and Cantor’s unlawful solicitations continued unabated,” the suit alleges.

Kosdon’s lawyers responded in October that the dentist “has no desire or need to solicit” Dorfman’s patients and that he had told Cantor not to do so, the suit states.

“Notably, … Kosdon did not deny that he had personally benefited from Cantor’s conduct and by receiving moneys in the form of payments from the patients of Dr. Dorfman and their insurance providers who Cantor had solicited through the use of the misappropriated patient list and other unlawful solicitation activities,” according to the lawsuit.

Do you have questions about embezzlement?  Give Prosperident a call at 888-398-2327 or send an email to requests@dentalembezzlement.com

Content retrieved from: http://mynewsla.com/crime/2015/11/27/extreme-makeover-dentist-sues-former-hygienist-for-allegedly-using-confidential-info/

$500,000 credit card fraud fueled by information theft by dental office employee

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Grisha Stpanov opened a credit card, charged up $20,000, but never paid it back.

That’s because Stpanov doesn’t exist.

Stpanov, or at least his credit profile, was the creation of Arman and Wachagan Hovhannisyan, two brothers from California who were accused of scamming 21 banks and the three major credit reporting bureaus by inventing hundreds — possibly thousands — of fake identities, and charging $500,000 on fraudulent credit cards.

While it may sound like the plot of a Hollywood heist movie, anyone who understands how credit works can easily game the system.

Even after the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, banks are still doling out credit cards to any borrowers who look good on paper — even when that’s the only place they exist.

And the Hovhannisyan brothers are proof positive that most banks are still very susceptible to fraud.

How they did it

It all started when the Hovhannisyan brothers joined forces with a man named Jamal Hyde, who worked in a dentist’s office extending loans to patients and then reporting payments to Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus.

According to the government complaint filed in California federal court, which summarized the investigation, the brothers, along with Hyde, made up hundreds of fake social security numbers to establish false identities. The men then began reporting loan information and on-time payments for fictitious dental services to Experian.

Once the fake credit profiles had high credit scores, the men opened credit cards and took out loans, fooling issuers like Bank of America, Capital One , Wells Fargo , US Bank , Chase  and Discover. In all, the government estimated that the men duped at least 21 financial institutions.

At first, they paid off the balances on time to improve the fake scores. Eventually, they ended up with hundreds of cards with a combined $500,000 credit limit, which they used to pay their own bills and purchase two luxury automobiles, federal documents show.

The Hovhannisyans were eventually caught by the FBI. After pleading guilty to lesser charges, they were both sentenced to more than 20 months in prison for bank fraud and must each pay restitution of $486,143. They entered prison in March.

Hyde is scheduled to appear at his sentencing in May.

How they got caught

About a year into the scheme, Experian flagged the fake accounts, saying the loan amounts seemed unusually high for dental services and that the geographic distribution of the patients was also unusual.

A spokesman for Experian said the company did carefully vet the dental practice involved in the case, and worked with law enforcement as soon as Experian became aware of the scam.

“In [this case], the dentist’s office involved was a legitimate business, which hired a rogue employee who reported the account data in question,” he said.

The three men likely picked the social security numbers at random and simply made up names, addresses and dates of birth, according to the case documents.

(Even if a social security number is already in use, if the name and other information doesn’t correspond when a credit bureau receives it, a new profile can be created.)

When government agents received a search warrant to check the homes of the three men, they found hundreds of documents with account numbers, drivers licenses, social security numbers and other personal information relating to the many identities they created.

The fact that the scheme went on for a year means that it probably could have continued a lot longer if the men had been a little more careful, said John Ulzheimer, personal finance expert at SmartCredit.com.

“They got greedy,” he said. “They were smart, but not smart enough — if they used modest credit lines and were more geographically sensitive, they could have kept it going.”

Why it could happen again

While this is considered a “victimless crime” since most of the “individuals” defrauded didn’t exist, (though the government believes several of the identities did belong to real people), the banks ultimately recoup fraud losses from their customers, said Ulzheimer.

“The takeaway from this case is that the system isn’t fool proof,” said Ulzheimer. “It can be manipulated. So it’s crucial that the credit bureaus do a good job making sure that folks who have credit profiles and access to reporting information are legitimate.”

But the job of the credit bureaus is to report the information given, not necessarily to take additional measures to determine its accuracy, said Jay Foley, founder of the Identity Theft Resource Center.

“The credit reporting agency may or may not realize there’s fraud, but they usually won’t do anything about it. Why would they? That’s not their job,” said Foley.

The banks disagree.

“Banks rely on the credit reporting, so they need to count on it being reliable,” said John Hall, spokesman for the American Bankers Association. “The weakest link in this case seems to be the credit reporting folks, because the product we get from them is only as good as it is accurate.”

While Experian said it typically alerts lenders to potential fraud, a spokeswoman from Wells Fargo said the bank doesn’t receive proactive alerts from credit bureaus. Instead, fraud risks are flagged through internal tools, network providers like Visa and MasterCard, merchants and customers.

A spokeswoman for Discover said the company advises merchants to use security processes to prevent fraud.

Capital One and US Bank could not be reached for comment, and the other major banks named in the complaint declined to comment.

“Our country still has no method of defining exactly who the customer is, how honorable the business reporting information is, or how accurate the information on the report is,” Foley said.

Creating better fraud prevention systems would be expensive, and consumers would likely end up paying, he added.

Experian said cases like this are rare. But if a more secure system isn’t developed, similar schemes could easily happen, Ulzheimer warned.

“These guys are almost trailblazers, they’ve proven the concept works, so now it’s just a matter of someone coming along and creating 25 more human beings and improving the process,” he said. To top of page

Do you have questions about embezzlement?  Give Prosperident a call at 888-398-2327 or send an email to requests@dentalembezzlement.com

Content retrieved from: http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/03/pf/credit_card_fraud_identity_theft/

_____________________

Jamal Hyde release conditions:

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
v.
JAMAL HYDE
JAMAL CLIFFORD HYDE; JAY HYDE; JAMAL DANIELS; JC

Social Security No. 2 6 0 0 (Last 4 digits)

JUDGMENT AND PROBATION/COMMITMENT ORDER MONTH DAY YEAR

In the presence of the attorney for the government, the defendant appeared in person on this date. May 25 2011

Nina Marino (Name of Counsel)

X GUILTY, and the court being satisfied that there is a factual basis for the plea.

NOLO CONTENDERE NOT GUILTY

There being a finding/verdict of GUILTY, defendant has been convicted as charged of the offense(s) of:

Possession of at least 15 Counterfeit and Unauthorized Access Devices in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1029(a)(3) as charged in Count Seven of the Eight-Count First Superseding Indictment.

The Court asked whether there was any reason why judgment should not be pronounced. Because no sufficient cause to the contrary was shown, or appeared to the Court, the Court adjudged the defendant guilty as charged and convicted and ordered that: Pursuant to the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, it is the judgment of the Court that the defendant is hereby committed to the custody of the Bureau of Prisons to be imprisoned for a term of:

Five (5) years on Probation under the following terms and conditions:

The first twelve (12) months of probation shall be spent in a Residential Re-entry Center;

The defendant shall comply with the rules and regulations of the U. S. Probation Office and General Order 05-02;

The defendant shall refrain from any unlawful use of a controlled substance;

During the period of probation, the defendant shall pay the special assessment and restitution in accordance with this judgment’s orders pertaining to such payment;

The defendant shall apply all monies received from income tax refunds, lottery winnings, inheritance, judgments and any anticipated or unexpected financial gains to the outstanding court-ordered financial obligation;

The defendant shall not obtain or possess any driver’s license, Social Security number, birth certificate, passport or any other form of identification in any name, other than the defendant’s true legal name; nor shall the defendant use, for any purpose or in any manner, any name other than his true legal name or names without the prior written approval of the Probation Officer; and

The defendant shall cooperate in the collection of a DNA sample from the defendant.

It is ordered that the defendant shall pay to the United States a special assessment of $100, which is due immediately.

It is ordered that the defendant shall pay restitution in the total amount of $120,000 pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §3663A to victims as set forth in a separate victim list prepared by the probation office which this Court adopts and which reflects the Court’s determination of the amount of restitution due to each victim. The victim list, which shall be forwarded to the fiscal section of the clerk’s office by the probation officer, shall remain confidential to protect the privacy interests of the victims.

Restitution shall be due during the period of probation, at the rate of $100 per month or 10% of defendants’s gross monthly income, whichever is greater, and shall begin within 30 days from the pronouncement of judgment.

If the defendant makes a partial payment, each payee shall receive approximately The defendant shall be held jointly and severally liable with co-defendants Wachagan Hovhannisyan and Arman Hovhannisyan for the amount of restitution ordered in this judgment. The victims’ recovery is limited to the amount of their loss and the defendant’s liability for restitution ceases if and when the victims receive full restitution.

Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3612(f)(3)(A), interest on the restitution ordered is waived because the defendant does not have the ability to pay interest. Payments may be subject to nd delinquency pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3612(g).

The defendant shall comply with General Order No. 01-05.

All fines are waived as it is found that the defendant does not have the ability to pay a fine in addition to restitution.

It is recommended that the Bureau of Prisons conduct a mental health evaluation and provide all necessary treatment.

On Government’s motion, all remaining counts are ORDERED dismissed as to this To the extent defendant retained any rights to appeal, defendant is advised to file a notice of appeal within fourteen days.

Bond exonerated upon checking into the Residential Re-entry Center.

In addition to the special conditions of supervision imposed above, it is hereby ordered that the Standard Conditions of Probation and Supervised Release within this judgment be imposed. The Court may change the conditions of supervision, reduce or extend the period of supervision, and at any time during the supervision period or within the maximum period permitted by law, may issue a warrant and revoke supervision for a violation occurring during the supervision period.

U. S. District Judge

It is ordered that the Clerk deliver a copy of this Judgment and Probation/Commitment Order to the U.S. Marshal or other qualified

Clerk, U.S. District Court May 25, 2011 By Kendra Bradshaw Filed Date Deputy Clerk

The defendant shall comply with the standard conditions that have been adopted by this court (set forth below).

STANDARD CONDITIONS OF PROBATION AND SUPERVISED RELEASE

While the defendant is on probation or supervised release pursuant to this judgment:

The defendant shall not commit another Federal, state or

10. the defendant shall not associate with any persons engaged in criminal activity, and shall not associate with any person convicted of a felony unless granted permission to do so by the probation officer;

the defendant shall not leave the judicial district without the written permission of the court or probation officer; the defendant shall report to the probation officer as directed by the court or probation officer and shall submit a truthful and complete written report within the first five days of each month; the defendant shall answer truthfully all inquiries by the probation officer and follow the instructions of the probation officer; the defendant shall support his or her dependents and meet other family responsibilities; the defendant shall work regularly at a lawful occupation unless excused by the probation officer for schooling, training, or other acceptable reasons; the defendant shall notify the probation officer at least 10 days prior to any change in residence or employment; the defendant shall refrain from excessive use of alcohol and shall not purchase, possess, use, distribute, or administer any narcotic or other controlled substance, or any paraphernalia related to such substances, except as prescribed by a physician; the defendant shall not frequent places where controlled are illegally sold, used, distributed or

11. the defendant shall permit a probation officer to visit him or her at any time at home or elsewhere and shall permit confiscation of any contraband observed in plain view by the probation officer;

12. the defendant shall notify the probation officer within 72 hours of being arrested or questioned by a law enforcement officer;

13. the defendant shall not enter into any agreement to act as an informer or a special agent of a law enforcement agency without the permission of the court;

14. as directed by the probation officer, the defendant shall notify third parties of risks that may be occasioned by the defendant’s criminal record or personal history or characteristics, and shall permit the probation officer to make such notifications and to conform the defendant’s compliance with such notification requirement;

15. the defendant shall, upon release from any period of custody, report to the probation officer within 72 hours;

16. and, for felony cases only: not possess a firearm, destructive device, or any other dangerous weapon.

The defendant will also comply with the following special conditions pursuant to General Order 01-05 (set forth below).

STATUTORY PROVISIONS PERTAINING TO PAYMENT AND COLLECTION OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS

The defendant shall pay interest on a fine or restitution of more than $2,500, unless the court waives interest or unless the fine or restitution is paid in full before the fifteenth (15th) day after the date of the judgment pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §3612(f)(1). Payments may be subject to penalties for default and delinquency pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §3612(g). Interest and penalties pertaining to restitution , however, are not applicable for offenses completed prior to April 24, 1996.

If all or any portion of a fine or restitution ordered remains unpaid after the termination of supervision, the defendant shall pay the balance as directed by the United States Attorney’s Office. 18 U.S.C. §3613.

The defendant shall notify the United States Attorney within thirty (30) days of any change in the defendant’s mailing address or residence until all fines, restitution, costs, and special assessments are paid in full. 18 U.S.C. §3612(b)(1)(F).

The defendant shall notify the Court through the Probation Office, and notify the United States Attorney of any material change in the defendant’s economic circumstances that might affect the defendant’s ability to pay a fine or restitution, as required by 18 U.S.C. §3664(k). The Court may also accept such notification from the government or the victim, and may, on its own motion or that of a party or the victim, adjust the manner of payment of a fine or restitution-pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §3664(k). See also 18 U.S.C. §3572(d)(3) and for probation 18 U.S.C. §3563(a)(7).

Payments shall be applied in the following order:

1. Special assessments pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §3013;

2. Restitution, in this sequence: Private victims (individual and corporate), Providers of compensation to private victims, The United States as victim;

3. Fine;

4. Community restitution, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §3663(c); and

5. Other penalties and costs.

UCLA Dental School employee accused of embezzlement

by

Tuesday, January 7, 1997

CRIME:

Suspect was employed by School of Dentistry; thought to have stolen some $50,000.

After five years of alleged embezzlement of funds from the UCLA School of Dentistry, a former school official was arrested last month in connection with the loss.

Joseph Castano, the former manager of the UCLA School of Dentistry’s Faculty Group Dental Practice, was arrested Dec. 19 on a warrant issued by the UCLA police department connecting him with embezzled funds totalling $50,600.

Charged with one count of grand theft and a second count of embezzlement, Castano was released on $100,000 bail shortly after the arrest. A preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 18.

The suspect, who was also a part-time law student, was placed on investigatory leave last February after a paper trail allegedly charged his spouse’s dental surgery to the school. Dental school
officials also allege that Castano charged law school textbooks to the school as well. Castano was fired from his position on March 29.

Following the discovery, internal auditors for the school were alerted to the situation and launched an in-depth investigation.

Auditors reported their findings to the police after completing the investigation last August.

According to university police, Castano allegedly submitted refund invoices for people who were never patients of the school or for patients of the school who were not due refunds.

Castano then allegedly filtered those funds out among family and friends, eventually landing them back in his own hands for personal use, police said. UCLA and dentistry school officials will seek reparation of the lost funds.

Officials said that the School of Dentistry takes the management of public funds very seriously and will charge Castano to the fullest extent of the law.

“There is no excuse for betraying the public trust,” said school Dean Rory Hume in a statement on the case. “The School of Dentistry takes very seriously its role to ensure responsible employee behavior,” he added.

Shortly after the allegations, the school implemented several changes in its accounting and management systems. All financial transactions are now electronically monitored and responsibility for cash management, refund approval and accounting are now distinct jobs that will belong to separate individuals.

Dentistry administrators are now in the process of restructuring the school manager’s job description and will hire an accounting manager for the new position.

Do you have questions about embezzlement?  Give Prosperident a call at 888-398-2327 or send an email to requests@dentalembezzlement.com

Content retrieved from: http://dailybruin.com/1997/01/06/student-charged-with-fraud/