Convicted Embezzler Ordered to Pay It Back
In April, Truly A. Dominowski accepted a plea agreement and, in return for the dismissal of an embezzlement charge, she pled guilty to a single count of attempted embezzlement. But in addition to the jail time and community service, the Judge has ordered her to pay back what she stole from her employer.
Court records show that Dominowski was the office manager at a family run dental business called Auburn Family Dentistry for 21 years. Dr. Peter Morley Jr., the owner, claims that he began to notice irregularities in the business’ cash payments, and began to watch Dominowski more closely. After several months he was convinced of theft, and confronted Dominowski.
Dominowski denied having stolen any money from the business, but then felt bad for what she had done and admitted it. She apparently told Morley that she had never meant to hurt him, and that they were friends. She admitted taking the money and told Morley that she felt bad about it. Morley, who had planned ahead for just such an eventuality, recorded the conversation he had with Dominowski, which included her confession.
Morley terminated Dominowski, and then contacted police. He reported the theft and provided police with a copy of the recording. Subsequent investigation revealed that Dominowski had been embezzling from the company from 2008 up until 2014, when she was caught. The total amount of stolen money is alleged to be about $30,000.
Dominowski was arrested and charged with single counts of embezzlement by an agent or trustee between $20,000 and $50,000, and attempted embezzlement by an agent or trustee between $20,000 and $50,000. Both charges are felonies, but the former is punishable by five years in prison, while the latter is a 10-year offense. The second charge was later dropped as part of the plea bargain.
Police records show that during an interview with police, Dominowski admitted that she had stolen the money, but claimed that she had always intended to pay it back. She explained that it was when she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and her medical expenses had gotten out of hand, that she had begun taking money from her job.
Bay County Chief Circuit Judge Kenneth W. Schmidt has ordered Dominowski to pay $36,184 back to Auburn Family Dentistry in monthly installments of $300. She was also sentenced to spend 120 days in jail, with an additional 120 days that were deferred. After her release, she will spend 90 days under electronic monitoring, followed by 3 years of probation, and 400 hours of community service.