Former Key condo manager ordered to begin three-year sentence

Former Sand Cay manager Judy Paul was ordered Tuesday to begin serving a three-year prison sentence that she originally received in September 2013.

Paul, 51, was convicted in July 2013 on charges of grand theft of more than $100,000 in Sand Cay Homeowners Association funds and of scheming to defraud in the amount of $50,000 or more stemming from a series of checks totaling more than $200,000 that Paul allegedly deposited into her personal account during the three-and-a-half years she worked at the 60-unit Longboat Key resort.

Judge Thomas W. Krug ordered Paul to pay $200,000 restitution to Sand Cay as part of his 2013 order, which also includes 10 years of probation that follows after she serves her prison sentence.

Paul, who has no previous criminal record, has been appealing the order for the last two years. The Second District Court of Appeals affirmed her 2013 conviction on June 3.

Paul, who was living with her parents during the appeal process when she posted a supersedeas bond of $100,000, was scheduled to surrender July 1. When she didn’t surrender, Circuit Judge Susan Maulucci ordered a warrant for Paul’s arrest. Paul surrendered July 7, claiming she didn’t surrender as scheduled because she attempted suicide and has a myriad of health issues.

Maulucci ordered her to the Manatee County Jail medical unit before she’s transferred to prison.

Paul was fired in 2010 after a 2009 routine audit revealed inconsistencies. When confronted, she insisted she had a verbal agreement with the board’s treasurer, which police said records did not support.

Prosecutors originally sought a 10-year sentence followed by 20 years of probation.

Three Sand Cay members testified for the state during the two-hour 2013 hearing, noting that she wrote the first check to herself just seven days after she was hired. Paul’s purchases with Sand Cay money included spa treatments, Victoria’s Secret items, custom accessories for her Corvette and plane tickets for her family.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].