Woman jailed in Manatee County after $62K tax payment disappears, deputies say
What began as a routine tax payment ended with a Bradenton resident missing more than $60,000 and a woman facing felony charges, according to investigators.
Kay Pasquet, 32, is charged with fraudulent use of personal identification involving $50,000 to $100,000 and grand theft involving $20,000 to $100,000, court records show, after deputies say she deposited an altered tax check into a bank account that did not belong to her.
Pasquet’s attorney, however, argues she was not the architect of the alleged scheme and claims others recruited her to deposit a check she did not know was fraudulent.
The case stems from a tax payment mailed by a Bradenton resident, who wrote a $62,400 check payable to the Internal Revenue Service in June, deputies said. Investigators allege the check was intercepted before reaching the IRS and altered so the funds would instead be payable to another individual.
Check fraud caught on camera, deputies say
On July 3, investigators said bank surveillance footage captured a woman depositing the altered check at a Bank of America branch in Fort Lauderdale into an account that did not belong to her.
When deputies reviewed law enforcement databases and located a prior Fort Lauderdale Police Department incident involving Pasquet, they said body camera footage from that unrelated call showed Pasquet with tattoos on her chest and hands that matched those seen in the bank surveillance video.
Investigators also said they reviewed driver’s license records and social media accounts linked to Pasquet, including a Facebook profile under her maiden name, that further corroborated her identity.
Based on that evidence, deputies allege Pasquet knowingly deposited the altered check into a compromised bank account, depriving the Bradenton resident of his $62,400 tax payment.
Attorney says suspect was accidental participant in fraud scheme
Her attorney, James Lewis, said Pasquet believed she was conducting a legitimate transaction and was paid a small amount to deposit the check, while those he described as the organizers of the scheme avoided appearing at banks or using their own names.
“She was recruited by people to go into a bank and deposit checks that turned out to be fraudulent,” Lewis said. “All you’ve got to do is walk into the bank. It’s a check-in. She’s thinking it’s no big deal and no big harm to anybody. But it turns out these are the people that get caught, because they’re on camera.”
“The people that are really behind it, they don’t ever go to the bank,” Lewis added. “They don’t ever use their names. They just recruit others to go do it.”
Lewis said similar schemes have become increasingly common and often involve individuals who underestimate the legal consequences of depositing fraudulent checks.
Suspect faces possible prison time
Under Florida law, the charges Pasquet faces carry significant penalties. Fraudulent use of personal identification involving $50,000 or more is a first-degree felony, punishable by up to 30 years in prison, while grand theft involving $20,000 to $100,000 is a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years, according to state statutes.
Deputies arrested Pasquet and booked her into Manatee County Jail, where records show she remains in custody. Her bond was set at $50,000 on the grand theft charge and $100,000 on the fraudulent use of personal identification charge, jail records show.
Court records show Pasquet faces similar charges in Panama City, where deputies arrested her in October after she allegedly deposited a fraudulent check of over $280,000.
