People often assume I only investigate employee theft. That is not even close. Much of my work is forensic fact-finding in disputes that have nothing to do with embezzlement. Below are real examples, anonymized to protect client confidentiality, from engagements conducted and overseen personally by William Hiltz.
Buyer versus seller disputes
Undisclosed insurance fraud inflating practice value
A buyer suspected the seller had inflated production before the sale. A forensic audit confirmed that the seller’s spouse had been overbilling insurance by roughly $300,000 a year. The buyer filed a claim, and the settlement was based directly on the forensic findings.
False accusations of patient-record deletion after a sale
A seller stayed on as an associate after the sale. Months later, the buyer accused the seller of deleting hundreds of patient records, in a practice-sale dispute exceeding $1.2 million. William Hiltz converted more than 8,000 pages of audit logs and scheduling reports into a searchable database of over 100,000 records, then matched the timestamps of more than 800 deletions against email, appointment, text-message, and geolocation data. The timeline proved the seller could not have made the deletions: they occurred while the seller was in surgery, away from the practice, or out of town, using the seller’s user ID. The buyer withdrew its claim six weeks before trial and settled the seller’s counterclaim.
Negligence and malpractice claims
In negligence cases involving patient death, permanent disability, a transected nerve, misdiagnosis, and failure to refer, the matters shared one thing: the plaintiff’s counsel challenged the authenticity of the electronic dental records. Digital forensics examined the data and metadata, validated the integrity of the records, and determined whether the clinical documentation had been altered.
Insurance audits
Insurers are increasingly aggressive with out-of-network providers. In a recent case, an insurer demanded more than $60,000 in alleged overpayments. A comparative audit reduced the legitimate exposure to $17,000, a fraction of the original demand.
Business partner disputes
Two equal partners. Dr. One suspected Dr. Two was being paid for work Dr. One had performed. A forensic audit confirmed that Dr. Two had received over $250,000 for work completed by Dr. One, and had personally directed payments from Dr. One to themselves. The matter settled out of court, and the partnership ended.
Spousal theft
A dentist suspected their spouse was siphoning funds from the practice. Despite the spouse’s full access to the accounts, the motive was unclear. A forensic audit confirmed that $75,000 had been stolen in the previous twelve months. The motive later emerged, tied to undisclosed personal spending.
Criminal charges against a dentist
A dentist was criminally charged with insurance fraud. A forensic audit exposed significant flaws in the detective’s investigative methods and created substantial doubt. The charges against the dentist were dropped, and the evidence pointed to someone else in the practice.
Employee embezzlement
And yes, I still do the work I am best known for.
Uncovering a half-million-dollar embezzlement
A long-trusted employee with control of billing, collections, and reconciliation had been diverting practice funds for years. A forensic examination confirmed losses exceeding $500,000 and documented them to evidentiary standards, providing the foundation needed to pursue recovery.