A Florida woman has been arrested and charged with grand theft after she was caught stealing $88,845 from Platinum Roofing & Construction, her former employer, by writing unauthorized checks, abusing company credit cards and manipulating the payroll.

According to the Bevard County Sheriff's Office, Christine Beasley, 49, of Titusville, Fla., made purchases with the Platinum Roofing company credit card and refunded herself more for the purchases, or wrote herself checks for purchases never made. She did this from July 2023 to November 2024, bilking $36,587 in fraudulent checks.

Platinum Roofing was paying her $25 an hour and had later increased her salary to $33 an hour. Platinum Roofing told the sheriff's office Beasley increased her hourly rate without company consent or knowledge, ranging between $33.75 and hour to $40 an hour. Paystubs showed her receiving payment for working over 40 hours and received $94,067 for 2023, well above Beasley's salary of $68,640 a year. 

This payment manipulation continued in 2024. As of November 2024, Beasley had paid herself $92,831.25. From 2023 to 2024, Beasley paid herself a total of $52,258.25 over her salary. This included payment for overtime. Beasley told investigators she did work over 40 hours but knew she was a salaried employee who was only supposed to be paid for a 40-hour week.

The sheriff's office report noted that Beasley knew she owed Platinum Roofing money, believing the amount to be $13,000.

RELATED: 5 Ways to Stop Fraud in Your Roofing Company Right Now

Reporting from Space Coast Daily says Platinum Roofing became aware of the situation when Beasley requested an advance on her paycheck. She later processed a duplicate payment for herself. The discrepancy raised red flags and initiated a closer review of payroll records.

Beasley has been charged with one count of defraud to obtain property value of $50,000 or more, a first-degree felony, and one count of grand theft, a second-degree felony. She has pleaded not guilty to both charges. Beasley was booked into the Brevard County Jail with a $30,000 bond.

Avoiding Fraud in Your Company

Maintaining a close eye on accounting records is one way to catch discrepancies that may indicate fraud or theft, but that's just one step roofing contractors should take to protect themselves.

As was the case with Platinum Roofing, contractors should ensure there is a clear separation of duties between employees allowed to use company credit cards and those approving their charges. They should also be aware of checks deposited into personal accounts. 

Spotting an "at-risk" employee can be tough, especially if they are long-time, trusted workers. Review our article about Six Red Flags to Spot Fraud in Your Roofing Company to learn how to protect your company from bad actors.