LAKE CITY, Fla. – A former county official in north central Florida is facing four felony charges after investigators accused her of altering tax deed sale records in order to personally pocket more than $27,000.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, agents arrested former Columbia County records supervisor Karina M. Vercher, 60, of Lake City, on one felony count of scheme to defraud and three felony counts of official misconduct.
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“Agents audited past tax deed sales in Columbia County and identified 46 transactions where Vercher either altered tax deed records by recording a reduced sale price or by reducing the fees associated with the tax deed sale,” an FDLE news release said Friday. “In almost every occurrence, the discrepancy correlated with the amount of cash collected by Vercher from the winning bidder of the corresponding tax deed sale as a deposit.”
The agency said investigators discovered “numerous cash deposits made into Vercher’s personal bank account occurring either on the same day or the day after tax deeds sold that were determined to have a discrepancy. Agents also identified multiple instances where Vercher appeared to physically alter tax deed documents to disguise the price discrepancies.”
Vercher defrauded Columbia County out of approximately $27,600, agents said. Police booked her into the Columbia County Jail on a $55,000 bond Thursday night.