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former employee of a Lake Worth Beach real estate firm has been accused of embezzling nearly $50,000 to fund personal expenses. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation after a new financial officer discovered suspicious payments during a payroll audit at Sympatico Real Estate. The alleged embezzler, Pamela Depanicis, had worked for the company for about four years and was responsible for processing payrolls and managing employee reimbursements.

    According to investigators, Depanicis submitted reimbursement requests without proper receipts, totaling $47,498.01 over several paychecks. When confronted by the financial officer, she was terminated from her position. An audit revealed that Depanicis had concealed many of her reimbursement requests, using corporate American Express cards for personal expenses instead.

    Further investigation showed that Depanicis used the embezzled funds to make payments on a Toyota, utility bills, and even a facial plastic surgery center. Authorities obtained documentation from her bank account, which confirmed the misuse of company funds. Depanicis was arrested and faces charges of grand theft, with bail set at an undisclosed amount.