Former local Realtor association CEO charged with grand theft
Former East Polk County Association of Realtors (EPCAR) CEO Jennifer Garula-Mers has been charged with grand theft after she allegedly stole over $81,000 from the trade association, leaving it “all but broke,” according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO).
The Florida-based Realtor association’s former CEO was arrested on Friday by the PCSO, which had issued a warrant for her arrest the day prior. Garula-Mers was terminated from the association in August 2024.
According to a release from the PCSO, Garula-Mers was hired by the association in 2020 on a starting salary of roughly $80,000. After four months on the job, in November 2020, Garuda-Mers allegedly increased her own salary to roughly $85,000 and issued several bonus checks to herself. The Sheriff’s office states that within three years, Garula-Mers had increased her salary to $99,472 after numerous increases carried out without authorization. This represented a total of $43,105.86 in unapproved increases and deposits, according to the Sheriff’s office.
Additionally, the PCOS claims that records show additional unauthorized payroll checks totaling $20,348.89, improper reimbursements totaling $2,112.97, and unauthorized $12,500 in bonuses. The checks were all issued and signed by Garula-Mers herself.
Records also show numerous non-business transactions being carried out on EPCAR credit card, including charges for shopping, personal grooming, household goods, and orders on Amazon. The charges totaled more than $3,200, according to the release.
In addition, she allegedly adjusted the contribution rate to her retirement account, resulting in a net gain of $7,938.27.
In total, the PCSO said its detectives found that EPCAR suffered a total of $81,453.92 in losses as a result of Garula-Mers’ actions.
She has been brought from Hernando County to Polk County and will be charged.
According to EPCAR association president Brenda Brooks, in September 2024, the association’s leadership noticed “financial irregularities” and “promptly referred the matter to law enforcement.”
“Our investigation found that she made unauthorized raises and bonuses to herself, and non-business credit card charges that began within a few months after she was hired in 2020. Jennifer Garula-Mers’ is a thief and stole tens of thousands of dollars from the association. I urge all nonprofit associations to have effective checks and balances in place,” Grady Judd, the sheriff of Polk County, said in a statement.
Garula-Mers did not respond to HousingWire’s request for comment.