Former Augusta University provost Roman Cibirka pleads guilty to theft; pays $25,000 fine

Roman Cibirka, A former vice provost at Georgia Health Sciences University and Georgia Regents University pleaded guilty Friday to a single count of theft by taking.

In a plea agreement, a second count of theft was dismissed against Roman Cibirka, 56, a dentist who worked his way up from teaching at the dental school to university administration from 1996 until he resigned after the theft from the university was discovered in 2015.

In Richmond County Superior Court, Judge Sheryl B. Jolly accepted the negotiated sentence and imposed a five-year probation sentence under the First Offender Act. Conditions of probation include paying a $25,000 fine and performing 240 hours of community service by providing dental services for indigent patients.

Associate Attorney General Blair McGowan told the judge Friday afternoon that a tip led to an internal investigation. It was discovered that Cibirka ordered dental work be provided to an individual and the $15,322 in services be paid by the university on June 14, 2013. McGowan said the state wasn’t seeking restitution because the individual who received the services is making restitution.

Defense attorney Richard Grossman told the judge that Cibirka has provided free dental care for indigent patients since he began practicing.

Roman Cibirka practicing in Georgia

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