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Letter to the editor

Water department employees accused of theft

By BILL VARIAN
Published June 1, 2005

TAMPA - Two former employees of the Hillsborough County Water Department are accused of stealing more than $50,000 skimmed from people who showed up at a suburban office to pay their utility bills.

The Hillsborough Sheriff's Office is continuing its investigation. A Water Department spokeswoman confirmed that one other person was fired as part of its own investigation into what county and Sheriff's officials believe was a coordinated effort.

"They were working together," said Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

Stephanie Ann Stubbs, 36, of 5207 Royal Oak Drive, Tampa, and Sherri H. Ramsey, 3211 E Fern St., Tampa, were both charged Monday with one count each of organized fraud, a felony. They, along with the unnamed third woman, are accused of stealing $52,800 over an unknown period of time, said Michelle Van Dyke, spokeswoman for the Water Department.

The alleged fraud was discovered after the department's bank notified the county of a $46 shortfall in a deposit of water bill payments in January.

All three were suspended without pay February 11 and fired May 11, Van Dyke said. Each had worked in the Brandon customer service center.

Van Dyke said the women are accused of taking money from water bill payments residents made in cash then doctoring bank deposit manifests to mask the shortfall. She said county workers who investigated the matter believe the women tallied their real totals each afternoon night and had a supervisor sign off on them. The following morning, they believe the women would reopen bank deposit bags, take cash, and change deposit manifests.

"Basically what they were doing was they were stealing funds from when people were coming in to pay their bills then changing the deposit slips," Carter said.

No residents lost money through the scheme. The losses were sustained by the county, Van Dyke said.

"Once we were aware of the shortfall, it quickly unraveled," Van Dyke said. "The women, once they realized it was up, approached their supervisor and admitted their involvement."

Stubbs was paid $15.06 an hour and started work for the county in June 1996. Ramsey started with the county a year later and was getting paid $14 an hour.

Jail logs indicate both now list their employer as the Bank of America. Ramsey indicated she works in customer service and Stubbs said she works "phones."

-- Bill Varian can be reached at (813) 226-3387.

[Last modified June 1, 2005, 19:16:03]