The Bay County Sheriff’s Office has announced additional charges against Aaron Lee, former Vice President of Administration for the Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), also known as Visit Panama City Beach. These charges stem from an extensive and ongoing investigation into the alleged misuse of CVB-issued credit cards and other financial misconduct.
As a result of continued investigative efforts, Lee now faces the following additional charges:
* Grand Theft over $100,000 (7 counts)
* Grand Theft over $20,000 (2 counts)
* Grand Theft over $5,000 (2 counts)
Investigators determined that, related to the seven counts of Grand Theft over $100,000, Lee used a CVB-issued American Express card between July 2024 and January 2026 to conduct 1,475 unauthorized transactions totaling $871,698.72. When combined with transactions from the original charges, investigators identified a total of 1,480 fraudulent transactions amounting to $979,236.32.
Regarding the charges of Grand Theft over $20,000, investigators discovered that Lee accessed the Tourist Development Council (TDC) payroll system and gradually increased his own salary between April 2024 and September 2024. The total unauthorized increase amounted to $35,136.65.
In reference to the first count of Grand Theft over $5,000, investigators found that in October 2025, Lee collected $11,970 in cash from a TDC event. The cash was never deposited into the CVB bank account and was instead kept for personal use.
In reference to the second count of Grand Theft over $5,000, investigators determined that Lee accessed the CVB bank account and made two separate payments to satisfy personal debts. The first payment totaled $1,114.45, and the second payment totaled $9,331.57.
Lee is currently incarcerated at the Bay County Jail and is scheduled to appear before a judge tomorrow morning (Wednesday), where additional bond amounts will be addressed.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office takes this case seriously and continues to actively investigate the misuse of CVB-issued credit cards and other financial irregularities. This remains an ongoing investigation, and additional charges may be forthcoming.
