Mich. Woman Accused of Scamming $1.8 Million from Doc

A medical office clerk who claimed on federal tax forms to be a professional gambler embezzled $1.8 million from a doctor to fund a lavish lifestyle, authorities said.

From 2002 to 2005, Carol Elaine Salisbury, 58, of Warren, deposited into her personal bank account checks issued by health insurance companies to the doctor’s office where she worked, authorities said.

“Everybody believed she was the best gambler in the world,'” Warren police Detective Cpl. Michael Kroll told The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens for a story Tuesday.

Salisbury is charged with embezzlement over $20,000, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines. She also faces eight counts of uttering and publishing, a felony that carries up to 14 years in prison.

Defense lawyer Scott Ausilio said he had not received copies of police reports and other material to help him make an informed comment. But he noted: “My first impression is, these matters appear overstated.”

Salisbury was arraigned last week before 37th District Judge Dawnn Gruenburg, and a preliminary hearing was set for June 22.

Police believe the embezzlement from the office of Dr. Samir Yahia may have gone on longer than three years.