Note: teaser image is not this clown's mugshot.
Ruth C. Amen, a longtime office manager of Gulf to Bay Realty, a Boca Grande business, is now facing embezzlement charges after a surprise birthday party for her boss backfired into a paper trail of fraudulent transactions, according to a news release from the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
The 46-year-old Boca Grande woman was reportedly solely responsible for handling the company's finances such as billing and payroll.
It was Amen's decision to pay for a surprise birthday bash for one of her bosses — without permission — that brought the fraudulent transactions to light. Following that incident, company officials looked at Amen's bookkeeping practices more closely and discovered the math didn't add up, the release stated.
An investigation by the Lee County Sheriff's Office Economic Crimes Unit revealed that Amen was indeed stealing money from the business, to the tune of $181,674.00. The investigation revealed Amen used nearly $92,000 in company finances to pay personal credit card debt, issued herself "extra" paychecks totaling $65,000 and failed to deduct the cost of insurance from her paychecks.
See, this is why ass-kissing doesn't work, people.