Condo manager sentenced in Charlotte fraud

Former condo manager Stacey Tuck sentenced in Charlotte Chelsea House embezzlement

Article Courtesy of The Herald Tribune

Published September 15, 2010

   

CHARLOTTE COUNTY - A former Port Charlotte condominium manager accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from residents of a local retirement community was sentenced to 12 years in prison Wednesday.

Stacey Herrin Tuck, pleaded no contest as part of a negotiated plea deal that reduced her overall sentence.

Tuck, 36, was arrested in April on felony grand theft and fraud charges after investigators linked the North Port woman to more than $500,000 in stolen money.

Her charges stemmed from a complaint in September 2008 by representatives of Chelsea House, an association of Charlotte Square condos, a 55-and-older complex near Fawcett Memorial Hospital.

Sheriff's detectives said they traced $503,060 to Tuck, although condo representatives estimate that up to $4 million is missing from various association accounts.

Charlotte Square consists of nine buildings, called houses, with each having its own association. Each of the associations is independently run by an elected board of directors.

Charlotte Square hired Star Hospitality Management Inc., as its community association manager, and in 1996 the Punta Gorda-based company put Tuck in charge of all day-to-day operations, the Sheriff's Office reported.

Tuck reportedly managed the maintenance and financial affairs for the entire complex and had access to monthly and annual bank statements.

Detectives said the scheme began in 2006, although it was not noticed for two years.

In addition to the prison sentence, Tuck must pay more than $1 million in restitution.


 

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