Worker allegedly stole $27K in exotic dancers’ fees

A former Palm Beach County employee stole more than $27,500 in fees paid by adult entertainers, according to a report released Tuesday by the Office of Inspector General.

An investigation found that Anita Pedemey, an administrative assistant, altered records to pocket $75 fees exotic dancers pay for identification cards required by a county ordinance, said John Carey, inspector general.

“This is why we have to be vigilant in government,” Carey said. “We need to have checks and balances to prevent fraud, waste and abuse.”

The findings have been turned over to the State Attorney’s Office, Carey said. Mike Edmondson, a spokesman with the State Attorney’s Office, said his office doesn’t comment on the status of investigations.

About a year ago, one of Pedemey’s co-workers noticed people were paying for identification cards, but no records of payment existed.

She alerted her supervisor, who launched a review and found discrepancies, according to the report. During the investigation, Pedemey, 54, told her bosses she had been taking money and resigned her position, Carey said. Pedemey started working for Palm Beach County in 1999 and earned about $54,000 annually.

When she resigned Dec. 8, she asked to be forgiven and “indicated that her husband has been spending a lot of money at Home Depot,” according to the report. In emails reviewed on her county account, she referred to a house in France, investigators wrote.

“I do not have anything in savings to cover anymore as I had to send everything to France for the roof!” she wrote in an email.

Messages left at numbers listed in Pedemy’s name Tuesday were not returned.

Her supervisors requested that the Office of Inspector General, the county’s government watchdog agency, investigate. Investigators determined Pedemey diverted $27,575 in adult entertainment ID card fees from Oct. 1, 2013, to Nov. 14, 2016, according to the report. Another $1,300 was diverted from the victim services fund, which contains donations commonly made as part of plea agreements, the report found.

“This money was cash that was brought in,” Carey said. “We believe there could have been much more. This was just what we could determine through the records.”

The review found that Pedemey was in charge of accepting payments and keeping the records, Carey said.

The county took “immediate action” to strengthen internal controls, he said. In a memo to the Office of Inspector General, Stephanie Sejnoha, director of public safety, wrote that as of May 1, the county will no longer accept cash as payment for adult entertainment ID cards.

About 9,000 adult entertainment ID cards, which don’t expire, have been issued since the program started in 1999, according to records. on the east side of Southeast Third Avenue, adjacent to the juror parking garage. The extra cost will include improvements to all existing air handlers in the building to ensure indoor air quality. An antenna system to support emergency communications in the building is also being added.

Set up rules for county water and sewer customers to be connected to reclaimed water lines for landscape irrigation purposes. Pompano Highlands residents will be the first to connect to the county’s treated wastewater lines. The reclaimed water is being purchased from Pompano Beach.

Approved a $24,000 settlement for a former county locksmith who was injured in a motor vehicle accident in November 2014 during the course of his employment with the county.