Yep, pretty sure that when office manager Ruth Amen threw a surprise birthday party for one of her bosses she never imagined that it would lead to her getting charged with embezzling $182,000 from the Boca Grande, Fla., realty office she worked for.
Yet here we are.
The 46-year-old Amen threw the impromptu bash for one of her bosses, and by all accounts the soiree was a smashing success. Except for one thing—she hadn’t asked permission to use company money to fund the event. This led to some investigating by both Amen’s firm and the cops, where it was discovered that the now unemployed office manager—who had been responsible for Gulf to Bay Realty’s finances and payroll—had helped herself to nearly $182,000 in ill-gotten funds from her employer.
From the NY Daily News…
Finding a paper trail of what they believed were fraudulent transactions, they called in Lee County Sheriff’s Office Economic Crimes Unit.
Investigators sifted through the records and found that Amen, who handled the firm’s finances including billing and payroll for 10 years, had stolen $181,674 from the business.
Police said in a statement that she used $92,000 to pay off personal credit card debt, and also issued herself bonus paychecks of $65,000.
Amen was arrested on Monday and charged with grand theft and scheme to defraud, both first degree felonies.
