Indiana County woman accused of $500K theft from medical practice

Paul Peirce | Tuesday, August 25, 2020 2:57 p.m.

An Indiana County woman accused of stealing $500,000 from the medical practice where worked spent the money on vacations and season tickets to Pitt Panther football games, along with other concerts and sporting events, state police investigators said.

Sandra Jo Doak, 61, of Blairsville, was arraigned Monday before Homer City District Judge Susanne Steffee on charges of access device fraud, forgery, receiving stolen property, theft, theft by deception and tampering with records for the alleged thefts from the Matthew N. Klain M.D. medical practice over seven years, ending in April.

Steffee released Doak on $100,000 unsecured bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Sept. 8.

The medical practice with three doctors has two offices, one on Colony Boulevard in Burrell Township, near Blairsville, and another on Wayne Avenue in White Township, just outside of Indiana, Trooper Philip Dern of the Indiana station reported in court documents.

In April, the doctors told troopers that Doak printed out multiple checks payable to herself from the medical practice’s bank accounts and put the money into her private bank accounts, Dern reported.

“The victims also provided troopers with credit card statements from the practice that showed multiple unauthorized expenditures,” Dern said in court documents.

Troopers obtained a search warrant for Doak’s personal bank records and found “over $500,000” was stolen from the victims,” Dern said.

Police said the seized documents also disclosed a $14,000 trip to Disney World that paid for using medical practice accounts, plus miscellaneous credit card purchases. Doak also paid off “thousands of dollars” in personal credit card tabs during the period, Dern reported.

Police said the unauthorized credit card expenditures exceeded $25,000 and included tickets to sporting events and concerts.

Dr. Klain could not be reached for comment. A representative at the White Township office said they would “have no comment at this time.”

Doak’s private attorney, Jennifer Rega, of Indiana, also declined comment.