- From our friends at the News Herald:
The finance manager of the Panama City Beach Sports Complex has been arrested and charged with embezzling $37,000, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday.
Darren Landry, 51, of Walton County, was charged with grand theft and ongoing scheme to defraud, according to a BCSO press release,
Employees at the Convention and Visitors Bureau in the past week noticed discrepancies in the accounting paperwork for the sports complex, the press release states. A thorough review of the records showed what appeared to be an ongoing theft from ticket sales from the complex, along with submission of fraudulent documentation to VCB employees.
Finding evidence of theft, the Convention and Visitors Bureau filed a report with the sheriff’s office. A BCSO investigation revealed that Landry had embezzled $37,000 during the past year, the press release states.
As part of his daily job, Landry was in charge of the proceeds taken in by the complex and had access to all funds and accounting documents. Investigators believe Landry was changing the amount of money taken in at the complex on the accounting documentation to hide the amount of money he was taking.
Landry was arrested on warrants with the assistance of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. He was booked into the Walton County Jail and will be extradited to Bay County for his first court appearance.
