Donna M. Duffer, 54, former controller of the West Palm Beach CVB, may soon face two first degree theft felony charges for allegedly stealing $1.6 million from the bureau to aid her addiction to gambling, according to local press reports.
An outside accounting firm hired by the bureau released a report Jan. 3 affirming that Duffer had forged hundreds of checks over a three year period totaling $1.6 million and left the bureau with $925,000 in tax liabilities for failing to pay payroll taxes.
According to the local press, police may soon charge Duffer with grand theft of more than $100,000 and scheming to defraud more than $50,000, crimes punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
The scandal began last fall when bank officials phoned Warren “Mac” McLaughlin, the bureau’s CEO, to inform him of financial discrepancies on the bureau’s books. When McLaughlin approached Duffer about the subject, she allegedly admitted to stealing money from the bureau to aid her online gambling addiction and was escorted out of her office.
Since then, McLaughlin and Lee Davis, vice president of finance for the CVB, have resigned.
Press reports indicate financial audits of the bureau have revealed lax bureau management, saying the scandal could have been avoided if a simple check of the organization’s books was executed.
In December, county commissioners gave the bureau two months to get its act together or face a possible takeover by the county government.
