Employee also ordered to repay $1,440 of customer payments she stole
A former dental clinic worker has been sentenced to four months of community detention after stealing customer payments from her employer, according to reports.
Roxanne Joy Lamong Arsi had a bookkeeping job at DentalCare Nelson, where she used to send invoices to customers on a generic template via a work mobile phone, the New Zealand Herald reported.
According to the report, Arsi altered the invoices sent by the clinic to divert more than $4,000 in customer payments to her personal bank account.
In one incident in May 2023, she gave her personal bank account number to a customer who paid $220. Other cases had higher amounts reaching up to $2,200.
Arsi admitted in court to six charges of altering a document with the intent to defraud, according to the Herald. She also told the court that she had a medical condition that made her steal, as well as other personal issues that weren't detailed in court.
Community sentence for employee theft
In determining her sentence, Judge Brian Callaghan considered Arsi’s previous offending and gambling problem.
"Clearly, there's an issue with gambling but I'm not quite convinced your personal issues directly led to your offending," he said as quoted by NZ Herald.
According to the judge, community work wasn't a sufficient penalty for Arsi’s actions, sentencing her instead to four months of community detention.
Most of the diverted customer payments to Arsi have been reversed by the bank, with the former employee ordered to repay the remaining $1,440.
