ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — A St. Pete woman was arrested Wednesday on several charges related to her time as a dental office manager.
According to an arrest report from the St. Petersburg Police Department, Angela L. Atherton-Nurczyk was accused of defrauding over $50,000 from her employer from 2018 to 2023.
Atherton-Nurczyk was hired by Dr. Vivian Quesada-Fox in 2006 as a receptionist and became the office manager ten years later, the arrest report stated. Her reported job responsibilities included managing customer payments and insurance claims and managing the sale of precious metals to a refinery company.
While working as office manager, Atherton-Nurczyk allegedly deposited $50,746.83 worth of stolen checks, Cash App transactions and refund payments into her personal bank accounts. She was also accused of selling “stolen dental crowns and bridges” obtained from the office to Philadelphia-based Garfield Refinery Company and pocketing the money, according to the arrest report.
When Atherton-Nurczyk learned she was under investigation in Dec. 2022, she allegedly sent threatening text messages to Quesada-Fox and her husband. According to St. Pete police, Atherton-Nurczyk “(threatened) to accuse (Quesada-Fox) of a crime, injure their reputation, and expose them to disgrace” if they continued to pursue criminal charges against her.
Atherton-Nurczyk was charged with scheme to defraud (over $50,000), forgery, dealing in stolen property, and extortion. She was booked into the Pinellas County Jail and released on a $112,000 bond.
