Former Panama City department head sentenced after embezzling more than $1 million

 Michael Johnson, a former Panama City department head, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for embezzling over one million dollars from the city. He was facing a maximum of 155 years in prison. Johnson had resigned as head of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) five months prior. Through his embezzlement, he was able to acquire eleven homes and three cars with ASAP funds. He also stole over $100,000 from the CRA, which he was in charge of. His misappropriation of funds occurred over a period of ten years.

When the crime was initially discovered, it was reported that Johnson had bought four cars, but one could not be traced back to the stolen money. The eleven homes and three cars are now valued at over $900,000. Other property that was confiscated included $113,000 from his home, $370,000 from four of his bank accounts, $25,000 from his vacation, sick pay, and final paycheck. Johnson also agreed to forfeit around $330,000 from his government retirement account but will be allowed to keep $67,000 from his personal contributions.

Johnson was convicted of grand theft, money laundering, and 19 counts of official misconduct. No additional charges will be filed. Johnson waived his right to a jury trial and has thirty days to appeal the agreement. The city plans to sell the houses and cars and return the money to the agencies affected. They will be trying to move quickly while still selling everything for what it is worth.

Utilizing a professional investigator to conduct #backgroundcheck should be part of your SOP, not just when problems arise. Good leadership has a proactive approach to managing their investment. Invetech LLC helps clients mitigate financial loss by providing actionable insight solutions with due diligence investigation.

Location: Panama City, FL, USA

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