A federal judge sentenced a Brownsville dental clerk to five years and nine months in prison for embezzlement and stealing the identities of patients to open credit cards.

Claire Batsell appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Hilda Tagle on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old woman pleaded guilty last year to fraudulent means of identification and aggravated identity theft.

Batsell admitted to pocketing cash payments made by patients in addition to stealing patient information to open credit cards between May 2006 and July 2007.

Federal prosecutors said the dentist testified against Batsell at her sentencing.

He told Judge Tagle that Batsell but caused embarrassment in addition to destroying a reputation he had built up in 35 years of practice.

The dentist testified that the identity theft affect his patient’s credit scores and that he had to pay back the credit card companies for the fraudulent charges.

Judge Tagle sentenced Batsell to 69 months in federal prison, followed by three years of probation and paying $110,000 dollars in restitution.

Batsell was ordered into the custody of the U.S. Marshals where she began her sentencing immediately after the hearing.