PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — A former assistant to Punta Gorda businessman Bruce Laishley has been arrested for allegedly stealing over $200,000 from his real estate company, Laishley USA.
According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, 40-year-old Kristina Parrish was arrested on Thursday, and faces one count of grand theft over $100,000.
Watch Fox 4's Charlotte County Community Correspondent Alex Orenczuk report on Kristina Parrish's arrest:
The charges stem from when Parrish was working as Laishley’s assistant at Laishley USA, from approximately Aug. 2021 to Oct. 2023. The probable cause affidavit states that Laishley and other employees noticed company money was missing in May 2024, and traced the missing funds to “several personal unauthorized transactions” that Parrish allegedly made totalling $200,444.39.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Parrish and found that she had used the company’s Bank OZK account to make various personal expenditures including paying for utility bills, credit cards, car loans, dentist appointments and college tuition for her child among several other transactions.
The PCA states that Parrish had access to the account to make purchases for the company, and was not given permission to use the account for personal expenses.
CCSO said the running total of misappropriated funds Parrish allegedly took is $200,434.19, and investigators expect to find more transactions.
Court records show Parrish made her first appearance in Charlotte County court on Thursday, and was ordered to have no contact with Laishley.
Read the full probable cause affidavit here:
