PALM COAST, Fla. – A former Palm Coast city employee accused of pocketing thousands of dollars that were supposed to go to the city for summer camps and golf lessons could soon be facing fraud charges.
Timothy Spangler, 47, was fired from his position as the Palm Harbor Golf Course general manager after city officials learned he had received payments to his personal account that were intended for the city, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said.
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The Sheriff's Office asked the State Attorney's Office to file grand theft and fraud charges against Spangler after a six-month investigation sparked by a fraud report filed by the city.
Spangler worked at the golf course for 18 months, and investigators said they found that during that time, he convinced parents to pay him directly for golf summer camps and weekend lessons instead of making checks out to the city.
Spangler was fired, and when he appealed the decision, he included checks made out to him and checks from his personal account in an attempt to pay the money back, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The city opted to pursue criminal charges against Spangler for all the funds officials said he fraudulently received during his employment with the city -- totaling $4,943.
After investigators dug into Spangler's bank accounts, they presented the evidence to the State Attorney's Office, requesting charges against Spangler for grand theft and schemes to defraud.
"I want to thank our great team of investigators for their hard work on this case. Cases like this take time to gather all of the evidence and then even more time to make sure no stone is left unturned," Sheriff Rick Staly said.
Deputies said the case is still active and more charges may be filed.