Office manager charged with embezzling $286G from Great Neck Plaza dentist's office

An office manager from Connecticut was arrested for allegedly embezzling about $286,000 over four years from a Great Neck Plaza dentist’s office where he worked, according to the Nassau County Police Department.

Jeffrey Fernandez, 34, of Norwalk, is accused of switching the business’ routing account number to his own personal bank account, the department wrote in a news release issued on Wednesday.

The alleged embezzlement — stealing or misappropriating funds that one has been entrusted with — took place between January 2020 and July 2024. How the alleged crime finally came to light wasn’t disclosed in the release, nor was the identity of the dentist.

Fernandez was arrested on Wednesday at 6 a.m., according to the release.

Charges against him include two felonies: second-degree grand larceny, which in New York covers theft exceeding $50,000, and criminal possession of a forged instrument.

Fernandez was indicted by a county grand jury on May 14, according to a copy of the indictment provided by Nicole Turso, a spokeswoman for the Nassau County District Attorney's Office. She redacted the dentist's name.

At an arraignment on Wednesday at First District Court in Hempstead, Fernandez pleaded not guilty and was freed on his own recognizance, according to the state court system’s database. The case is due back in court June 4, according to Turso.

Fernandez’s lawyer, James Nicholas Balboni, of Garden City, did not return a message seeking comment. Fernandez couldn’t be reached for comment.

According to a survey by the American Dental Association, 48% of dentists reported having been victims of embezzlement. 

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.