Man pleads guilty to embezzling $305,000 from Newport Beach pharmacy

A Fullerton man pleaded guilty Thursday to embezzling more than $305,000 over seven years while he was the controller of a pharmacy in Newport Beach.

Dennis Sam Medici, 58, pleaded guilty to 53 felony counts of possessing a completed check with the intent to defraud, along with sentencing enhancements for aggravated white-collar crime between $100,000 and $500,000. He is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 6.

Medici wrote 361 checks to himself totaling $305,000 while he was the controller of Horton & Converse Pharmacy, police investigator Emily Bledstein said in court papers.

Medici also was accused of voiding the checks to evade detection, Bledstein said.

Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.