BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — The former director of the Humane Society of the Nature Coast and her husband cheated the non-profit animal shelter of at least $1 million for purchases of boats, cars and a house, authorities allege.
Susana Arneson, 38, funneled money from the shelter into a personal account and diverted checks to herself, Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said during a news conference Thursday morning.
Her now-husband, 38-year-old Douglas O'Berry, reportedly was part of the scheme that the sheriff dubbed "Operation Heartless." Both are facing multiple charges, including money laundering with specific intent, organized fraud and grand theft.
Copies of the arrest affidavits show about $1.5 million was stolen.
"Some of the things that were done, the average person wouldn't think about because they would never take food out of the mouths of puppies but [Arneson] obviously was a pretty good actress," Nienhuis said.
Arneson started working for the non-profit in 2018 and resigned from her position in August 2021, the sheriff said. According to arrest reports, authorities were notified after it was discovered that a bank account that should have had $500,000 in it had a balance of less than $1,000.
Money in that account had been transferred to a TD Bank account whose only listed signer was Arneson, the reports read, with checks totaling $219,700. Another account with more than $108,000 had also been cashed out and closed, with its funds distributed to TD Bank.
Investigators subpoenaed the bank for Arneson's records and concluded that there had been multiple checks paid out since 2020 for the purchase of a Jeep Wrangler, a $221,000 home in Brooksville and a boat, among other high-dollar transactions.
The couple was arrested Wednesday by the sheriff's office on multiple charges of fraud. Bond is set for $750,000 for both.
"We had enough information to charge [O'Berry]...so we believe that he was involved but...I would venture to say [Arneson] was at least the main player in this," Nienhuis explained.
The three first-degree felonies the couple is facing each carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, according to Bill Gladson, the state attorney in the fifth judicial circuit.
Items and property from the couple have been seized by the sheriff's office, with efforts ongoing to obtain additional search warrants, Nienhuis said.