Bookkeeper Stole Nearly $300,000 from Frenchy's, Cops Say

A 52-year-old Palm Harbor woman stands accused of stealing almost $300,000 from Frenchy’s Corp in Clearwater.

Clearwater Police arrested the woman Thursday after an investigation was conducted and she confessed to the crime, an email from city spokesman Rob Shaw stated.

According to police, the crime occurred over the course of four years. During this time, the woman was the bookkeeper and accountant for Frenchy’s. Police say she took a portion of the bank deposits for three different restaurants owned by Frenchy’s and altered the deposit balances to hide the thefts.

The total amount taken over the four years was $292,187, police say. Detectives found more than $48,000 in cash in a closet at the woman’s home on Virginia Avenue in Palm Harbor.

Mary Catherine Buffano was charged with grand theft and scheming to defraud. She was released from the Pinellas County Jail on $100,000 bond Friday morning.

Photo Credit: Mary Catherine Buffano/Pinellas County Jail