Article Courtesy of The Florida Times Union

By Teresa Stepzinski

Published July 11, 2007

BRUNSWICK - Cassandra Danielle Ray loved to shop and the Internet was like a 24-hour superstore.

But other people's money was her currency of choice, an FBI investigation revealed.

The bill for those shopping sprees came due in federal court Tuesday for the former manager of two Glynn County homeowners associations.

Ray, 37, of Blackshear pleaded guilty to two counts of federal access device fraud in a plea bargain with the government. She testified to bilking the Laurel Grove Home-owners Association and Belle Point Homeowners Association out of about $19,121.

She admitted to Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony Alaimo that she illegally used bank accounts and debit cards belonging to the associations to buy personal items.

"I basically used two accounts to pay for my own purchases several times starting in 2006," Ray testified.

Ray defrauded the Laurel Grove association out of about $15,421 from May, 2006, through January, 2007, FBI Special Agent David Crisafi testified.

"She used funds out of two Laurel Grove Homeowners Association accounts. She would write checks to herself as well as to her business," he testified.

Ray defrauded the Belle Point Homeowners Association out of about $3,700 from April, 2006, through October, 2006. She stole the money by using the association's debit card, Crisafi said.

"She was using the money for personal purchases over the Internet, and to get cash from ATM machines," testified Crisafi.

The merchandise bought by Ray with the stolen money wasn't detailed during the court hearing. Nor was was it listed in court documents.

Ray pillaged the Belle Point account by using automatic teller machines as far away as Massachusetts, he said.

The fraud was discovered and reported by Sherry Coleman, who had just been voted the association's treasurer.

Coleman told the Times-Union after the hearing that she had been going over the books when she detected that money was being taken from the homeowners' accounts.

Ray's betrayal of the home-owners' trust cut just as deep as the theft did to the small group, Coleman said.

"It was the homeowners' money. She was supposed to be helping us ... and instead she was robbing us blind," Coleman said.

Coleman and her husband, Bob, who was association president at the time, said they hope the judge will order Ray to pay restitution when she is sentenced.

"It may not seem like a lot of money, but it's the principal. This money belonged to the homeowners, and we all trusted her," Sherry Coleman said.

Each count of access device fraud is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison, and a $250,000 fine. Ray will have to serve at least 85 percent of any prison term imposed because there is no federal parole.

Alaimo allowed Ray to remain free on $10,000 unsecured bail subject to supervision by federal court officers while awaiting sentencing. No sentencing date has been set.

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