Sunday, February 13, 2011

Florida Man Arrested & Charged With Embezzling $1 Million From Municipality & Civic Organizations

Philip C. Bennett, 61, of Fort Meyers, Florida, was arrested Thursday and charged with embezzling about $1 million in total from three local civic organizations for which he had been treasurer and the City of Moore Haven, where he had served as asset manager for the municipality's Capital Project Finance Authority. Bennett allegedly began his schemes in February 2005, when he began taking funds from various city accounts in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 and depositing them into his own accounts until about August 2008. All told, he is believed to have stolen $268,500 from various city projects. Bennett is also accused of embezzling some $444,000 from the Fort Meyers Rotary Club beginning in September 2005 in amounts ranging from $8,000 to $35,000. These thefts reportedly continued until January 2008. He also is accused of embezzling $244,000 from the Fort Myers Rotary Trust fund and another $18,000 from the Rotary Leadership Institute Sunshine Division. Finally, Bennett is accused of embezzling $62,000 from Lee County commissioner Frank Mann's election campaign account. In total, Bennett is accused of stealing $1,031,500. On his LinkedIn page, Bennett claims to be a specialist in forensic accounting and fraud prevention/detection. His is the owner of Public Finance Associates, Inc.

Read the story here, here and here.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow. Unbelievable.

Anonymous said...

Sad but way too prevalent. Waste, fraud and corruption running rampant. Want to see a Florida town gone haywire in catering to special interests, socking it to taxpayers, and attacking citizens who speak out? Find the web sites "Who Corrupted Surfside" and "Save Surfside" and see the YouTube videos about the town's zoning and the Town Attorney.

Anonymous said...

Report Fraud, Corruption and Abuse

Contact FBI, FDLE, and Florida Inpector General
and private nonprofit organizations

Street Sweeper
Public Oath
Our Promise to You

The Street Sweeper and its parent, American Fraud Fighters, share an important common mission: We aim to partner with the public in exposing corporate fraud and bringing its engineers to justice. To that end, we pledge to investigate credible allegations of misconduct and – if the evidence supports those accusations – report the truth about our findings. At the same time, we agree to disclose any conflicts that could potentially color our judgment. By embracing these core principles, we hope to protect ordinary Americans and deliver them news that they can trust.