Former Office Manager Sentenced For Embezzling Over 600K

Utica, NY (WIBX) - The former office manager of Mohawk Valley Urology, who was charged last year for stealing more than $600,000 from the business, was sentenced to serve three and a half to ten and a half years in prison. Nancy Phillips read a written statement in Oneida County Court this morning, expressing remorse for her action.

Her attorney Les Lewis, defended her character, saying she took total responsibility for what she did. "There was never any idea of trying to get out of this through some defense mechanism. I know her to be a good family person. I know that she took care of her children, her husband, did all kinds of things that she really wasn't entitled to do, but she did them, and always had her family in mind when she did these things," he said.

However, Oneida County Assistant District Attorney, Bernard Hyman said she may be a nice person, but she betrayed the trust of the doctors for years before the theft was discovered. He said, "There was an opportunity, while this was going on for her to stop when Dr. Block first confronted her and asked her, 'Could somebody here be skimming off the top?' and she said, 'No, I couldn't imagine anyone here doing that,' and then continued on for more money." Doctors Ronald Kaye and Jonathan Block subsequently reported questionable charges on the office's credit card to investigators.

Phillips will serve her prison sentence at the Bedford Hills Facility in New York. She was also ordered to pay $319,800.00 in restitution. Handing down the sentence, Judge Barry Donalty sympathized with Phillips, saying she obviously got caught up in a bad situation because according to Phillips, she couldn't say no to friends and family.