A resident of Hockley has been sentenced for embezzling over $200,000 from a dental office in Houston. Jennifer Lynn Thornton, aged 45, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on July 20, 2023. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Senior U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt sentenced Thornton to 41 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. She was also assessed ten $100 special assessments, with restitution to be determined later. In delivering the sentence, the court remarked, "I don’t believe you have proper respect for authority. The harm you caused to the victims was very personal."
Thornton worked as a financial coordinator at a dental office in Houston where the dentist had been operating for 38 years. In July 2021, during preparations for retirement, the dentist discovered that Thornton had been misappropriating funds.
Thornton established a shell company named SGS Healthcare and redirected payments meant for the dental practice into her accounts. She deposited checks from insurance companies intended for the dental practice into her own accounts and manipulated company records to take cash received from patients. A private auditor hired by the victim identified losses amounting to $243,597.
Thornton is allowed to remain on bond and will voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility yet to be determined.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service alongside the Harris County Sheriff’s Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman prosecuting the case.