Becker's Dental + DSO Review

14 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW // VOL. 2022 NO. 2 DENTAL PROFESSIONALS Las Vegas woman accused of embezzling more than $259K from 2 dental offices By Riz Hatton A Las Vegas woman who was charged with embezzling more than $249,000 from a dental office has been accused of a $10,000 scheme at another practice, according to the Las Vegas Re- view-Journal. Danielle Powers, 42, was hired by Desert Hills Dental in 2014 as an office manager, the Review Journal reported. A co-worker reported Ms. Powers in 2019 to practice owner Deborha Stat- en, DMD, and her husband and business manager, John Staten, saying that she saw Ms. Powers engage in suspicious activity with a customer, the Review Journal reported. The co-worker, Marleny Delgado, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that she saw Ms. Powers sitting in the office with an unfamiliar man counting a large amount of cash. When she checked the patient's account, there was no record of a large cash deposit applied to the customer's account balance, according to the Review Journal. Video footage showed Ms. Powers hiding the customer's cash in the of- fice, leaving for the day, then retrieving it after hours, authorities told the Review Journal. A forensic investigator discovered an embezzlement scheme that caused the office a $249,216 loss, the Statens told the grand jury. Initially, Ms. Powers was charged with felony theft and embezzlement in February 2020, but was released from custody on her own recognizance, according to the Review Journal. In October 2020, she was indicted on 10 felony theft and embezzlement counts and entered a not guilty plea to the charges, according to the Review Journal. Ms. Powers was arrested again in October 2021 after being accused of embezzling from Smile Vegas Dental in Las Vegas, the Review Journal reported. Smile Vegas Dental owner Naweed Najand, DMD, told a grand jury in March 2022 that he hired Ms. Powers to work as an office manager. Cus- tomers began to tell him they paid cash for services, but their accounts didn't reflect those payments. Dr. Najand told the grand jury that video surveillance showed Ms. Powers hiding patients' cash under a clipboard. Authorities alleged Ms. Powers stole more than $10,000 from the Smile Vegas Dental office, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. She was indicted on March 24 on a felony theft charge in the alleged theft from Smile Vegas Dental, the Review Journal reported. Ms. Powers is currently at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, according to the Review Journal. n Lenny Kravitz's oral care line rebrands, expands product line By Ariana Portalatin T wice, the oral care brand co-founded by musician and actor Lenny Kravitz, recent- ly rebranded and expanded its oral care line, People reported April 18. Mr. Kravitz launched the company in 2018 with brothers Julian Levine and Cody Levine, whose father is Mr. Kravitz's dentist. He was inspired to start the company after seeing how dental hy- giene in underserved communities is affected by a lack of resources. Twice was launched with just toothpaste in its product line, but it was rebranded April 5 to in- clude toothpaste, floss, a whitening pen and a rinse. The products are formulated with plant- based ingredients and are meant to balance pH and the microbiome of the mouth. n Dentists eligible for federal loan repayment program By Ariana Portalatin D entists are now able to apply for the Health Resources and Services Admin- istration's Faculty Loan Repayment Pro- gram. Under the program, the HRSA will repay up to $40,000 of student loan debt over two years in exchange for service at an eligible health pro- fessions school, the American Dental Associa- tion said May 25. Eligible applicants must come from a disadvan- taged background based on environmental and economic factors, have an eligible health profes- sions degree or certificate and be a faculty mem- ber at an approved health professions school with a contract for two or more years. n

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