Employee ‘modified salary,’ stole $50,000 from Pinellas insurance company, deputies say
DUNEDIN — An employee at Avid Insurance Company was arrested Wednesday after an investigation unveiled she stole more than $50,000 from her employer, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Jayme Collman, 40, admitted to deputies that she began issuing herself “extra paychecks” beginning in January 2019, something she continued to do more frequently over time, deputies said. She told investigators her actions got to the point that she “modified her salary.”
Collman was an office manager for the company and was in charge of all payroll, deputies said. She was hired in March 2018, about nine months before she began issuing herself extra paychecks.
The investigation into Collman began after the insurance company discovered discrepancies with the payroll numbers while gathering documents to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program loan last year, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Collman faces one count of scheme to defraud an amount greater than $50,000, records show. She was released from the Pinellas County Jail on $50,000 bail. An attorney has entered a not guilty plea on her behalf.
