Disney resort accountant admits to stealing more than $175K in DoD funds through phony guest refunds

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — An accountant at a Disney resort for service members is facing up to 10 years in prison after admitting to stealing more than $175,000 in government funds.

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According to a plea agreement filed in the Middle District of Florida, Elizabeth Carpenter worked for “Shade of Green,” an Armed Forces Recreation Center resort on Disney property owned by the Department of Defense.

AFRC resorts provide affordable vacation opportunities to U.S. Service Members and their families.

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According to the plea agreement, from July 2022 through March of this year, Carpenter used her credentials as a DoD employee to access guest accounts and refund parts of their payments to her own credit card accounts.

Investigators say Carpenter specifically targeted gust accounts with multiple completed stays.

In one case, in 2022, Carpenter refunded two separate payments from one guest’s prior reservations totaling $1,104.

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However, over time, investigators say Carpenter increased the number of refunds that she would credit to herself from a particular guest.

According to the plea agreement, as recently as January of this year, Carpenter refunded nine payments of $224 each from a single guest’s prior reservations totaling $2,016.

In all, investigators say Carpenter carried out at least 652 unauthorized transactions, stealing approximately $183,079 from the DoD.

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According to court records, Carpenter chose to forego an indictment and entered a plea of guilty to one count of theft of government property. The court still has to accept her plea.

If accepted, Carpenter faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000, restitution to Shade of Green, and the forfeiture of the illegally obtained funds.

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