Skip to content
NOWCAST WESH 2 News at 10 PM
Live Now
Advertisement

St. Cloud woman pleads guilty to stealing nearly $200,000 from the Department of Defense

St. Cloud woman pleads guilty to stealing nearly $200,000 from the Department of Defense
FLORIDA. COMING UP IN ABOUT 15 MINUTES. ALL RIGHT, CAM, WE’LL SEE YOU SOON. WELL, THE DEATH TOLL CONTINUES TO RISE FROM HURRICANE BERYL AS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN TEXAS AND LOUISIANA ARE WITHOUT POWER DURING A DANGEROUS HEAT WAVE. TEXAS IS NOW IN RECOVERY MODE FROM THIS MASSIVE FLOODING AFTER TAKING A DIRECT HIT FROM BERYL YESTERDAY. THE STORM IS NOW BEING BLAMED FOR AT LEAST SEVEN DEATHS, INCLUDING A POLICE OFFICER. POLICE SAY A 53 YEAR OLD MAN AND A 74 YEAR OLD WOMAN, BOTH DIED WHEN TREES FELL ONTO THEIR HOMES IN SEPARATE INCIDENTS. THE HEAT INDEX WILL REACH 105 TODAY, ADDING TO THE DISASTER AND AS WE GET FURTHER INTO HURRICANE SEASON, IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO NOT ONLY HAVE YOUR HURRICANE KIT READY, BUT ALSO HAVE A WAY TO STAY UP TO DATE ON THE TROPICS, AND THAT’S WHY WE ALWAYS REMIND YOU TO DOWNLOAD OUR FREE WESH TWO MOBILE APP. BE SURE TO TURN ON THOSE NOTIFICATIONS SO WE CAN ALERT YOU WHEN A STORM IS HEADED TO OUR AREA. WELL, POLICE HAVE ARRESTED A THIRD PERSON IN A SHOOTING THAT INJURED A FOUR YEAR OLD GIRL AND A 45 YEAR OLD MAN, JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ RUIZ FACES SEVERAL CHARGES, INCLUDING ATTEMPTED MURDER, ANOTHER MAN AND A WOMAN WERE ARRESTED YESTERDAY THAT SHOOTING HAPPENED SATURDAY ON OXALIS DRIVE IN ORLANDO. THAT’S NEAR LAKE UNDERHILL AND SOUTH OF GOLDENROD ROAD. WHEN POLICE GOT THERE ON SATURDAY, THEY FOUND THE MAN WITH MULTIPLE GUNSHOT INJURIES, AND THE GIRL WAS ALSO SHOT. BOTH OF THEM ARE EXPECTED TO RECOVER. WHAT WE’VE JUST LEARNED A 13 YEAR OLD GIRL WHO WAS MURDERED LAST WEEK IN ORANGE COUNTY WAS A STUDENT AT MEMORIAL MIDDLE SCHOOL IN ORANGE COUNTY ON JULY 4TH. DEPUTIES FOUND ROSE GIUSTI UNRESPONSIVE ON RIO GRANDE NEAR HOLDEN AVENUE. SHE LATER DIED AT THE HOSPITAL. THEY’RE NOT TELLING US WHAT HAPPENED TO HER, BUT THEY DID SAY THAT ROSE HAD OBVIOUS SIGNS OF TRAUMA. IF YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HER, PLEASE CALL THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE OR CRIME LINE. ALL RIGHT? WE ARE JUST OVER A MONTH AWAY FROM THE FIRST BALLOTS BEING CAST IN FLORIDA’S PRIMARY ELECTION. THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO VOTE OR CHANGE YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION IS QUICKLY COMING UP IN BREVARD COUNTY. THERE ARE MORE THAN 427,000 ACTIVE VOTERS, THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE REPUBLICAN. NEARLY 193,000, COMPARED TO 113,000 DEMOCRATS. ANOTHER 107,000 PEOPLE ARE REGISTERED WITH NO PARTY AFFILIATION. VOTERS HAVE A NUMBER OF ELECTIONS TO DECIDE, INCLUDING A NEW SENATOR, RICK SCOTT, KEITH GROSS AND JOHN COLUMBUS ARE RUNNING AS REPUBLICANS ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE. STANLEY CAMPBELL, ROD JOSEPH, DEBBIE MUCARSEL-POWELL, AND BRIAN RUSH ARE RUNNING. RESIDENTS IN TITUSVILLE WILL ALSO ELECT A NEW MAYOR. THERE’S THREE CANDIDATES IN THIS RACE VICKI CONKLIN, ANDREW CONNORS AND JOE ROBINSON. WELL, FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL HAVE A RALLY WITH SUPPORTERS HERE IN FLORIDA TONIGHT TO ADD TO HIS GOLF CLUB IN DORAL. AND SENATOR MARCO RUBIO, WHO IS ONE OF THE TOP CONTENDERS TO BE TRUMP’S RUNNING MATE, IS ALSO EXPECTED TO BE AT TONIGHT’S RALLY. WELL, PRESIDENT BIDEN’S DOCTOR IS TRYING TO CLEAR UP SPECULATION ABOUT WHY A PARKINSON’S DISEASE SPECIALIST WENT TO THE WHITE HOUSE SEVERAL TIMES IN RECENT MONTHS. YEAH. AS NBC’S PETER ALEXANDER EXPLAINS, THE DOCTOR’S NOTE COMES AFTER A TENSE DAILY WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING THAT LEFT UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRESIDENT’S HEALTH. OVERNIGHT, PRESIDENT BIDEN’S PERSONAL DOCTOR CONFIRMING THAT A NEUROLOGIST WHO SPECIALIZES IN PARKINSON’S SAW THE PRESIDENT AS PART OF HIS PHYSICAL EXAMS. THE PRESIDENT’S DOCTOR SAYING IN A LETTER THAT THE NEUROLOGIST DOCTOR KEVIN KENNARD, HAS EXAMINED PRESIDENT BIDEN FOR EACH OF HIS ANNUAL EXAMS, ADDING THE PRESIDENT HAS NOT SEEN A NEUROLOGIST OUTSIDE OF HIS ANNUAL PHYSICAL. ALL OF IT FOLLOWING A TENSE WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING. HAS THE PRESIDENT BEING TREATED FOR PARKINSON’S? NO. IS HE BEING TREATED FOR PARKINSON’S? NO. HE’S NOT. IS HE TAKING MEDICATION FOR PARKINSON’S? NO. THE ADMINISTRATION UNDER PRESSURE TO EXPLAIN WHY KENNARD VISITED THE WHITE HOUSE EIGHT TIMES IN EIGHT MONTHS, ACCORDING TO LOGS, THE PRESIDENT’S DOCTOR SAYING KENNARD HELD, QUOTE, REGULAR NEUROLOGY CLINICS AT THE WHITE HOUSE MEDICAL CLINIC IN SUPPORT OF THOUSANDS OF ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY STAFF ASSIGNED THERE. IT COMES AS PRESIDENT BIDEN IS TRYING TO PUT AN END TO THE POST-DEBATE DRAMA CALLING IN TO MSNBC’S MORNING JOE AND ISSUING A CHALLENGE TO THOSE WHO SAY HE SHOULD DROP OUT. I’M GETTING SO FRUSTRATED BY THE LEAKS. IF ANY OF THESE GUYS DON’T THINK I SHOULD RUN AGAINST ME, GO AHEAD, ANNOUNCE, ANNOUNCE THE PRESIDENT, CHALLENGE ME IN THE CONVENTION. THE PRESIDENT LATE MONDAY ALSO CALLING INTO A MEETING OF THE INFLUENTIAL CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS THAT STILL SUPPORTING HIM. LIKE OTHER KEY HOUSE DEMOCRATS, INCLUDING ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, JOE BIDEN IS OUR NOMINEE. HE IS NOT LEAVING THIS RACE. HE IS IN THIS RACE. AND I SUPPORT HIM SO FAR. NINE CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS HAVE CALLED ON THE PRESIDENT TO LEAVE THE RACE. I THINK HE SHOULD STEP ASIDE. I THINK IT’S BECOME CLEAR THAT HE’S NOT THE BEST PERSON TO CARRY THE DEMOCRATIC MESSAGE. FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS FIRST POST-DEBATE INTERVIEW TELLING FOX NEWS HOST SEAN HANNITY BY PHONE HE BELIEVES PRESIDENT BIDEN WILL STAY IN THE RACE. HE’S GOT AN EGO AND HE DOESN’T WANT TO QUIT, MR. TRUMP, ADDING HE EXPECTS TO FACE VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS IF PRESIDENT BIDEN IS FORCED OUT AND THAT HE MAY WAIT ON HIS OWN VICE PRESIDENTIAL ANNOUNCEMENT AS THE DEMOCRATS SORT OUT THEIR PATH FORWARD. WE WANTED TO SEE WHAT THEY’RE DOING TO BE HONEST. PRESIDENT BIDEN’S DOCTOR REITERATES THAT DURING HIS MOST RECENT NEUROLOGICAL EXAM IN FEBRUARY, THERE WERE NO FINDINGS CONSISTENT WITH ANY NEUROLOGICAL DISORDER. WHILE PRESIDENT BIDEN AND OTHER NATO LEADERS ARE MEETING IN WASHINGTON FOR THIS YEAR’S SUMMIT MARKING 75 YEARS OF THIS ALLIANCE. AND THEY’LL DISCUSS THE POSSIBILITY OF UKRAINE JOINING THIS GROUP, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SAYS THAT NATO WILL REVEAL THE STEPS THAT UKRAINE WILL HAVE TO TAKE TO BECOME A MEMBER THIS WEEK, THE FORMER US SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR UKRAINE SAID NEGOTIATIONS HE BELIEVES IT WON’T HAPPEN ANYTIME SOON. HE SAYS THE U.S. AND SOME OTHER COUNTRIES DON’T WANT TO FIGHT WITH RUSSIA RIGHT NOW AT SEAWORLD ORLANDO. KEEPING THE FUN GOING A LITTLE LONGER THIS SUMMER, THE PARK IS EXTENDING ITS OPERATING HOURS EVERY SATURDAY THROUGH AUGUST THIRD. STARTING THIS WEEK, THE PARK WILL OPEN AT 8 A.M. AND STAY OPEN UNTIL 10 P.M. THAT MEANS YOU’LL HAVE MORE TIME TO HOP ON SEAWORLD’S NEWEST RIDE, PENGUIN TREK
Advertisement
St. Cloud woman pleads guilty to stealing nearly $200,000 from the Department of Defense
ABOVE: A look at today's headlinesA St. Cloud woman has pleaded guilty to theft after officials say she stole nearly $200,000 from a resort owned by the Department of Defense.According to United States attorney Roger Handberg, 44-year-old Elizabeth Carpenter is facing up to 10 years in federal prison after accessing guest accounts at Shades of Green — an Armed Forces Recreation Center on Disney property owned by the DOD — and refunding a portion of guests' room payments to her personal accounts.From July 13, 2022, to March 19, 2024, officials say Carpenter, who was an accounting technician at Shades of Green, used her position and computer credentials to illegally access these accounts.In total, officials say Carpenter engaged in 652 unauthorized transactions and is responsible for stealing about $183,079.Carpenter has pleaded guilty to theft of government property and is set for a sentencing hearing on Nov. 12.The woman has agreed to forfeit all the money from her illegal transactions.

ABOVE: A look at today's headlines

A St. Cloud woman has pleaded guilty to theft after officials say she stole nearly $200,000 from a resort owned by the Department of Defense.

Advertisement

According to United States attorney Roger Handberg, 44-year-old Elizabeth Carpenter is facing up to 10 years in federal prison after accessing guest accounts at Shades of Green — an Armed Forces Recreation Center on Disney property owned by the DOD — and refunding a portion of guests' room payments to her personal accounts.

From July 13, 2022, to March 19, 2024, officials say Carpenter, who was an accounting technician at Shades of Green, used her position and computer credentials to illegally access these accounts.

In total, officials say Carpenter engaged in 652 unauthorized transactions and is responsible for stealing about $183,079.

Carpenter has pleaded guilty to theft of government property and is set for a sentencing hearing on Nov. 12.

The woman has agreed to forfeit all the money from her illegal transactions.