Panama City woman pleads guilty to stealing from her employer

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -A Panama City woman pleaded no contest Monday to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her employer.

In a press release, authorities say Pamela Lynn Wilson, 66, of Panama City, was reported to have issued hundreds of fraudulent payments over several years. This amount is estimated to be between 800,000 and one million dollars.

Hundreds of suspicious payments were sent to the same business, almost always in the amount of $2,500, according to financial records.

According to records from 2018, the business that received the payments did not collect any money. However, during the same period, the victim was found to have approximately $400,000 in payments on his books.

In 2022, two of the business owners went to the Panama City Police Department to report a theft by their main accountant. The duo described Wilson as a reliable employee, but they discovered nine unauthorized checks written to another business, totaling more than $20,000.

Wilson pled guilty to Contest Grand Theft of over $100,000 and Organized Scheme to Fraud of over $50,000. Each crime is a First Degree Felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 7; Wilson made a clear defence.