Dental School Coordinator Sentenced for Theft

A Martinez woman charged with racketeering after stealing nearly $300,000 while working for the dean of the dental school will not serve any prison time.

Dawn Nichole Gantt, 43, was sentenced Thursday to 15 years of probation by Superior Court Chief Judge Daniel J. Craig. Her probation is conditional on Gantt paying the university $278,000 in restitution Thursday, which she did.

While working as office coordinator under Dean Carol Lefebvre, Gantt had sole control of the “Dean's Discretionary Fund”, intended to cover travel and training expenses for dental students, faculty and staff .

Less than a year after joining the dean's office in 2015, Gantt began making improper payments to himself, according to his indictment, which cites 288 instances of theft.

Gantt's thefts began with cash withdrawals from ATMs, but she soon began paying personal bills with her account, according to the release. She became more adventurous, paying for her travel expenses with the account and even homeowners association dues. In 2022, she made over $10,000 in purchases at Louis Vuitton.

The funds came from revenues from the dental school's nonprofit dental practice. When the account was depleted, Gantt submitted requests to the associate dean of business and finance, who wrote checks to replenish the funds, according to the indictment.

The case was investigated by the Augusta University Police Department and prosecuted by the Georgia Attorney General's Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Unit.

At her sentencing hearing Thursday, Gantt's attorneys said she sold her home and liquidated her retirement account in an effort to pay restitution. In addition, her mother liquidated her retirement account and took out a mortgage on her home, where Gantt now lives, they said.

In addition to restitution, Gantt must pay a $75,000 fine within 12 months, remain employed full-time but never hold a position of financial trust again, and be subject to searches of her property and finances without mandate.