State Attorney Ed Brodsky announced today that Tiffany Denyse Young was sentenced to 15 years in Florida State Prison followed by 15 years of Probation in Manatee County Case No. 2023CF001208AX and 2023CF001462AX. Ms. Young had previously entered a No Contest plea on May 02, 2025 to 2 Counts of Scheme to Defraud (Less than $20,000), 2 Counts of Fraudulent Use of Personal Identification Information (Victim over 60 Years of Age), 1 Count of Fraudulent Use of Personal Identification Information (10 or More Victims), 5 additional Counts of Fraudulent Use of Personal Identification Information; 1 Count of Obtaining Codeine by Fraud, 1 Count of Worthless Check/Debit Card ($150 or More), and 7 Counts of Uttering Counterfeit Instruments.
The crimes were committed between December 22, 2020 and July 01, 2022, and July 19, 2022 through February 28, 2023, while the defendant was employed as an Office Manager at two separate Dentist offices here in Manatee County. The cases were investigated by Detectives Randall Walker and Gary Cummings III of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
The defendant used her position to defraud the local practices out of tens of thousands of dollars by having patients leave the “Pay to:” section of their checks blank, then filling in her own name before depositing the checks into her personal bank account. In many cases, the defendant altered the amounts of checks to increase the dollar amount, prior to depositing the checks. The defendant also altered credit/debit card payments of patients to smaller amounts, prior to pocketing the difference. She would then manipulate the accounting software to cover up the thefts. Many of the patients defrauded were senior citizens. The defendant also used one doctor’s unique DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) Registration Number to prescribe herself controlled substances.
Ms. Young had a lengthy prior record of similar offenses, for which she had served time in prison. She provided false identifying information on her employment applications to obtain these jobs.
The 15 years in prison reflected the maximum punishment available on the highest-level of offenses. The Fraudulaent Use of Personal Identification Information (10 or More Victims) carried a mandatory minimum punishment of 3 years in prison.
A Sentencing Hearing was held on September 03, 2025, after which Circuit Judge Stephen Mathew Whyte handed down the aforementioned sentence.
The lead prosecutor in the case, Assistant State Attorney (ASA) Justin Foster commented, “The defendant used her position of trust at these local dental offices to systematically defraud them out of tens of thousands of dollars. She was able to get these jobs by providing an altered middle name and Social Security Number. We encourage all employers to thoroughly and carefully vet any prospective employees who will be handling finances for your companies. We are pleased that the victim businesses, their doctors, and patients will be protected from this defendant for the next 30 years.”
If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact Assistant State Attorney (ASA) Justin S. Foster in the Manatee County office at 941-747-3077.