St. Augustine Record article on unbelievably sweet deal, which caused jail prisoners' raised eyebrows on Zoom video feed during last week's guilty plea.
If I were Circuit Court Judge, I would ask the special prosecutor and the defendant the sort of tough questions that Judge John J. Sirica asked during the Watergate case.
Will Ms. Brutnell give evidence against others?
Or is this another St. Johns County coverup, honoring the political machine's oath of omertà?
From St. Augustine Record:
Former sheriff's office finance director gets plea deal for 3-7 years in embezzlement case
Raye Brutnell was accused of stealing more than $700,000 from the Sheriff's Office and its employee benevolence fund
The former St. Johns County Sheriff's Office finance director accused of embezzling money from the agency has reached a plea deal that would send her to prison for as little as three years and up to about seven years.
Raye Brutnell was arrested in November 2018 amid allegations that she stole more than $700,000 from the sheriff's office and its employee benevolence fund over about five years by creating fraudulent vendor accounts and issuing checks to them.
According to the sheriff’s office, Brutnell initiated 74 payments to fictitious accounts totaling $702,773, including 51 payments from the benevolence fund worth $80,115 and a “misappropriated” benevolence fund check of $2,868.
Charges reduced: Special prosecutor files charges against former Sheriff’s Office finance director
Fallout: Sheriff’s Office to undergo forensic audit in wake of financial scandal