Former Spokane Dermatology Clinic finance director accused of stealing $715K
A 25-year-old Spokane woman has been indicted on dozens of counts of wire and bank fraud alleging she stole more than $715,000 from a Spokane medical clinic over a nearly three-year period ending in March.
Carol Dacaymat Casilla pleaded not guilty to the charges in a federal court appearance Thursday. A 19-page federal indictment handed down Wednesday alleges Casilla, who quickly rose through the financial ranks and served as finance director at the Spokane Dermatology Clinic near downtown, funneled money from the clinic, an affiliated research center and the corporate landlord that owned the building into her own personal accounts between May 2020 and March 2023.
Ron Van Wert, a managing partner at the firm Etter, McMahon, Van Wert & Oreskovich who is representing the clinic, confirmed Casilla’s employment ended in March. The alleged embezzlement was discovered following “an internal review that identified financial anomalies,” Van Wert said Friday.
Casilla is not being held in custody. She was appointed an attorney, Jay McEntire of the Public Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho.
McEntire declined to comment on the case via email Friday afternoon.
The indictment alleges a total of 148 fraudulent electronic transactions were made at the same time Casilla received promotions from staff accountant to accounting manager and, finally, finance director.
Casilla stole company checks and used a signature stamp to make the payments, which were then deposited via mobile phone, according to the indictment. The indictment also alleges Casilla set up a fraudulent bookkeeping company, including registering it with the Washington Secretary of State, to make the payments to herself appear as legitimate legal expenses for the clinic.
The wire and bank fraud charges carry potential maximum prison sentences of 20 and 30 years, respectively, and fines of up to $1 million.
The next hearing in the case had not been scheduled as of Friday afternoon.