Cape Coral woman arrested, accused of embezzling millions from employer

Reporter: WINK News Digital
Published:
Carolyn Eulena Pilgrim (CREDIT: Lee County Sheriff’s Office)

A 41-year-old Cape Coral woman was arrested on Tuesday after FDLE agents say she was part of a 7-figure embezzlement scheme.

Carolyn Eulena Pilgrim faces one count of scheme to defraud (over $50,000) and one count of grand theft (over $100,000), both first-degree felonies.

The investigation began in Aug. 2022, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

A company contacted FDLE regarding suspected embezzlement by Pilgrim, a former employee who has been in charge of the company’s accounting department.

Agents found she had deposited more than $3 million in checks made payable to the company into a separate account under her control, the agency said.

The investigation also found she paid herself more than $575,000 in fraudulent payroll payments, according to FDLE.

Both schemes ran from 2017 to 2022.

The investigation is ongoing.

Pilgrim was booked into the Lee County Jail on a no-bond status pending first appearance. The case will be prosecuted by Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.

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