Pasco dental office employee charged with pocketing cash payments

An employee at a Pasco dental office is accused of stealing at least $8,600 by pocketing cash payments from customers.

Marcie Ramirez, 37, pleaded innocent in Franklin County Superior Court to one count of first-degree theft. Her trial is scheduled Jan. 6.

The charge includes the aggravating circumstance that it was a major economic offense because Ramirez allegedly used her position of trust and the crime involved multiple victims.

Ramirez allegedly signed an agreement with her former employer, Broadmoor Family Dentistry, that she would return the money by June 10. When she did not pay up by the deadline or contact them, the office called Pasco police to report the theft, court documents said.

Ramirez reportedly was confronted by the owner, Dr. Navjot Khurana, and office manager Oscar Garcia about the missing money.

She admitted that when some customers who didn’t have insurance paid with cash, she would give them handwritten receipts and then pocket the money instead of applying it to their accounts, documents said.

Garcia gave police a list of clients with the amounts missing from their accounts, and said the number could go up. He later told an investigator that the dental office was going to credit the clients’ accounts and take the loss, court documents show.

Detective Tony Haworth called Ramirez on June 23. Ramirez said she had contacted a lawyer and was advised not to make any statements, documents said.

The Sunnyside woman has been allowed to remain free on her personal recognizance while awaiting trial.

This story was originally published October 25, 2015 at 9:17 PM with the headline "Pasco dental office employee charged with pocketing cash payments."