Dental office employee charged with stealing over $30,000 in insurance checks
July 28, 2026, • Brookline, MA • A former administrative assistant at a Brookline dental practice is accused of stealing more than $30,000 over the course of a year and a half by depositing more than 180 insurance reimbursement checks intended for the practice into her own bank account, according to Brookline police.
Emilia Fertykowska, 44, of Quincy, is facing charges including forgery, uttering a forged instrument, identity fraud, larceny and larceny by embezzlement after an investigation into the alleged scheme at Robert S. Hutner DMD on Beacon Street. She was arraigned on July 27 in Brookline District Court and entered a plea of not guilty.
According to a Brookline police report, the investigation began after Hutner noticed discrepancies between the practice’s financial records and its year-end tax returns. He hired a fraud examiner, who concluded Fertykowska had fraudulently endorsed and deposited 183 insurance reimbursement checks intended for the practice.
A subsequent review by detectives found that Fertykowska allegedly forged Hutner’s signature on the checks before endorsing them with her own and depositing them into her personal bank account. According to the report, the first allegedly fraudulent deposit occurred on May 11, 2024, and the last on Jan. 29, 2026. Detectives determined the alleged scheme resulted in a total loss of $30,394.24.
Police also allege Fertykowska manipulated records in the practice’s computer management system to conceal the alleged thefts, making it appear that insurance payments had been received even though the practice never got the money.
“While the adjustments themselves were appropriate under insurance contracts, the corresponding checks were not deposited, resulting in a loss to the practice while patient accounts appeared properly reconciled,” Officer Ian Timpany wrote in the report.
Brookline detectives later obtained a search warrant for Fertykowska’s Bank of America records, which police say corroborated the allegations and uncovered four additional insurance reimbursement checks that had not been identified in the initial forensic audit.
According to the report, Detective Johanlet Medrano wrote that Fertykowska’s failure to return his call, repay the allegedly misappropriated funds or otherwise respond to the allegations “has demonstrated conduct that raises legitimate concerns about her willingness to respond to a court summons,” prompting him to request that a warrant be issued. A criminal complaint application was filed in Brookline District Court on July 20.
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