Bradenton couple used Palmetto business funds to buy guns, SUV and more, deputies say
A Bradenton husband and wife are accused of spending over $220,000 of a Palmetto air conditioning company’s money to buy guns, fancy dinners and a luxury SUV, according to court documents.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office arrested John and Melissa Mathis, 52, on Feb. 2 after detectives said the couple used company funds from Spartan Air Solutions to make personal purchases.
The couple worked as office managers at the business and had access to a company credit card and checking account, which they used for “unauthorized and fraudulent activity,” according to investigators.
In total, detectives say John and Melissa Mathis “systematically and jointly defrauded Spartan Air” out of over $220,000 in 2023.
This “fraudulent activity” came in the form of several high-dollar purchases that Spartan Air Solutions owner, Levi Courtney, said John and Melissa were not authorized to make.
“I gave John the reigns to run and manage their own department, not the freedom to buy and spend money on whatever they pleased,” Courtney said in an interview with the Bradenton Herald.
Couple scammed Palmetto AC company, deputies say
Derek Byrd, an attorney representing John and Melissa, said he did not wish to comment while the case is pending.
Detectives say Courtney provided over 100 pages of financial documents that showed the couple using the company credit card and checks to make expensive purchases.
In an affidavit, detectives said, “it is clear that both John and Melissa Mathis inappropriately and recklessly used business funds that they had access to for legitimate purchases to fund their luxurious lifestyle at the expense of Spartan Air.”
Courtney told the Bradenton Herald in a phone interview Tuesday that he reported John and Melissa to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office sometime after discovering a purchase for a luxury SUV.
What is the couple accused of buying?
According to the sheriff’s office, the couple made a series of extravagant purchases, including:
- $82,000 for a down payment on a 2023 Lexus LX 600 SUV
- $28,198 for a vacation with Celebrity Cruises
- $5,999 for a Sig Sauer P226 X-Five Scandic 9mm pistol
- $899 for a Sig Sauer 365XL Rose 9mm pistol and ammunition
- $4,879 undisclosed at Lexus of Sarasota
- $2,500 for an illegitimate paycheck made from Melissa to John Mathis
- $1,043 for Next Level Marine “repairs”
- $1,000+ for several luxury hotels and dinners in various towns
- $478 for passports for luxury cruise
John and Melissa are charged with scheming to defraud in the amount of $50,000 or more as well as criminal conspiracy, according to the sheriff’s office.
The couple was released from jail on Feb. 3, according to the sheriff’s office. The two entered a plea of not guilty on Feb. 8, court documents show.
John and Melissa are set to be arraigned on April 5 at 9 a.m., according to court records.
