A Farmington woman was charged Friday in 6th Judicial District Court with felony theft on suspicion of embezzling $26,775 from a former employer.
Angelina “Angela” Mulholland, the former office manager at Durango Kids Pediatric Dentistry, allegedly made $9,010 in unauthorized personal charges on a company credit card and falsified $17,765 in cash deposits before her employment was terminated on Feb. 9.
According to an arrest affidavit filed by Durango Police Officer David Bobian, Mulholland was confronted by the practice’s owner, Dr. Angela Pinkerton, after $2,997 in unauthorized charges were discovered on a company credit card issued in Mulholland’s name.
The credit card charges in question included $52 at a gas station on a day Mulholland was out sick, two separate $500 charges for veterinary bills and $977 spent on tires.
When initially confronted by Pinkerton and another dentist on Feb. 9, Mulholland agreed to compensate the practice for 10 unverifiable charges totaling $2,997 (the total was incorrectly calculated to be $2,845). She was terminated at that meeting and asked if, during a forensic accounting investigation, any other discrepancies would be discovered.
Mulholland said nothing more would be found, according to the affidavit.
Given the legal agreement to reimburse the practice for the missing funds, DPD initially closed the report, calling it a civil issue. However, in the week that followed, Pinkerton discovered $5,784 in questionable charges on the corporate card issued in her own name.
She also found records of $17,765 worth of cash deposits going back to January 2022, two months after Mulholland was hired, that were not verified with bank deposit slips.
Pinkerton reported the additional missing funds, along with 119 pages of documentation, to DPD on Feb. 23.
According her LinkedIn profile, Mulholland has previously worked at other health care facilities in the region.
Mulholland did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Pinkerton declined to comment.
If convicted, the fourth-degree felony charge carries a penalty of two to six years in prison or up to $500,000 in fines.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
