Arizona Dental Office Manager Sentenced for Fraud

A longtime St. John’s, Ariz., dental office manager has been sentenced to prison for insurance fraud.

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office said 51-year-old Kathy Salazar was sentenced in Apache County Superior Court to one year in prison for insurance fraud. She also will serve seven years probation for felony theft.

Salazar pleaded guilty to submitting false insurance claims for dental procedures that were never performed and then pocketing the insurance checks.

Salazar was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and $88,000 in restitution to a St. Johns’ dentist she worked for more than 28 years.

Prosecutors say the case was uncovered during a routine audit performed by Delta Dental which showed irregularities in submitted claims.