Former Palm Beach County employee accused of stealing $27K in adult entertainmen
shadowcat
Atlanta suburb
A former Palm Beach County employee stole more than $27,500 in fees paid by adult entertainers, according to a report released Tuesday by the Office of Inspector General.
An investigation found that Anita Pedemey, an administrative assistant, altered records to pocket $75 fees exotic dancers pay for identification cards required by a county ordinance, said John Carey, inspector general.
“This is why we have to be vigilant in government,” Carey said. “We need to have checks and balances to prevent fraud, waste and abuse.”
The findings have been turned over to the State Attorney’s Office, Carey said. Mike Edmondson, a spokesman with the State Attorney’s Office, said his office doesn’t comment on the status of investigations.
About a year ago, one of Pedemey's co-workers noticed people were paying for identification cards, but no records existed of payments, according to the report.
She alerted her supervisor, who launched a review and found discrepancies, according to the report. During the investigation, Pedemey, 54, told her bosses she had been taking money and resigned her position, Carey said. Pedemey started working for Palm Beach County in 1999 and earned about $54,000 annually, according to county records.
When she resigned on Dec. 8, she asked to be forgiven and also “indicated that her husband has been spending a lot of money at Home Depot,” according to the report. In emails reviewed on her county account, she referred to a house in France, investigators wrote.
“I do not have anything in savings to cover anymore as I had to send everything to France for the roof!” she wrote in an email.
Pedemey could not be reached for comment Tuesday, despite messages left at numbers listed in her name.
Her supervisors requested the Office of Inspector General, the county’s government watchdog agency, conduct an investigation.
Investigators determined Pedemey diverted $27,575 in adult entertainment ID card fees from Oct. 1, 2013, to Nov. 14, 2016, according to the report. Another $1,300 was diverted from the victim services fund, which contains donations commonly made as part of court plea agreements, the report found.
“This money was cash that was brought in,” Carey said. “We believe there could have been much more. This was just what we could determine through the records.”
The review found that Pedemey was in charge of accepting payments and also keeping the records, Carey said.
The county took “immediate action” to strengthen internal controls, he said.
In a memo to the Office of Inspector General, Stephanie Sejnoha, director of public safety, wrote the county will no longer accept cash as payment for adult entertainment ID cards starting May 1.
The county also implemented new procedures for handling payments to lower the risk of theft, she wrote.
About 9,000 adult entertainment ID cards — which last a lifetime and don’t need to be renewed — have been issued since the program started in 1999, according to county records.
From February 2016 to March 2017, the county issued or reissued about 600 cards. The county charges $25 to replace lost cards.
Sejnoha said the State Attorney’s Office would handle restitution if it decides to prosecute.
An investigation found that Anita Pedemey, an administrative assistant, altered records to pocket $75 fees exotic dancers pay for identification cards required by a county ordinance, said John Carey, inspector general.
“This is why we have to be vigilant in government,” Carey said. “We need to have checks and balances to prevent fraud, waste and abuse.”
The findings have been turned over to the State Attorney’s Office, Carey said. Mike Edmondson, a spokesman with the State Attorney’s Office, said his office doesn’t comment on the status of investigations.
About a year ago, one of Pedemey's co-workers noticed people were paying for identification cards, but no records existed of payments, according to the report.
She alerted her supervisor, who launched a review and found discrepancies, according to the report. During the investigation, Pedemey, 54, told her bosses she had been taking money and resigned her position, Carey said. Pedemey started working for Palm Beach County in 1999 and earned about $54,000 annually, according to county records.
When she resigned on Dec. 8, she asked to be forgiven and also “indicated that her husband has been spending a lot of money at Home Depot,” according to the report. In emails reviewed on her county account, she referred to a house in France, investigators wrote.
“I do not have anything in savings to cover anymore as I had to send everything to France for the roof!” she wrote in an email.
Pedemey could not be reached for comment Tuesday, despite messages left at numbers listed in her name.
Her supervisors requested the Office of Inspector General, the county’s government watchdog agency, conduct an investigation.
Investigators determined Pedemey diverted $27,575 in adult entertainment ID card fees from Oct. 1, 2013, to Nov. 14, 2016, according to the report. Another $1,300 was diverted from the victim services fund, which contains donations commonly made as part of court plea agreements, the report found.
“This money was cash that was brought in,” Carey said. “We believe there could have been much more. This was just what we could determine through the records.”
The review found that Pedemey was in charge of accepting payments and also keeping the records, Carey said.
The county took “immediate action” to strengthen internal controls, he said.
In a memo to the Office of Inspector General, Stephanie Sejnoha, director of public safety, wrote the county will no longer accept cash as payment for adult entertainment ID cards starting May 1.
The county also implemented new procedures for handling payments to lower the risk of theft, she wrote.
About 9,000 adult entertainment ID cards — which last a lifetime and don’t need to be renewed — have been issued since the program started in 1999, according to county records.
From February 2016 to March 2017, the county issued or reissued about 600 cards. The county charges $25 to replace lost cards.
Sejnoha said the State Attorney’s Office would handle restitution if it decides to prosecute.
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