Accountant who bilked Security First Insurance gets 4 years prison, must make restitution

A former employee who bilked Security First Insurance in Ormond Beach out of $1.5 million was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison followed by probation.

Samantha Link, 31, pleaded no contest to grand theft over $100,000 and organized scheme to defraud over $50,000 — both are first-degree felonies. It was an open plea, so there was no agreement with the state on the length of the prison sentence which was up to 30 years.

Circuit Judge Kathryn Weston on Thursday morning adjudicated Link guilty and sentenced her to the four years followed by 16 years of probation. She will receive credit for 345 days time served at the Volusia County Branch Jail awaiting the resolution of her case.

The judge also ordered Link to pay restitution in the amount of $1,515,439.91. Payments are set to begin six months after Link's release from prison at $250 per month.

Sentencing guidelines called for a minimum of 21 months in prison.

Link was an accountant for Security First Insurance. Locke Burt, who served in the Florida Senate for 12 years, is the chairman and CEO of the company.

Link was employed in the accounting department at Security First, one of the state's largest homeowner insurance providers, for 8½ years, according to a previous story in The News-Journal. She was arrested Aug. 9.

Assistant State Attorney Kevin Sullivan argued for a sentence of 18 years in state prison, stating Link took a significant amount of money from the firm.

Sullivan noted the sum was well above the $100,000 and $50,000 thresholds for the two first-degree felonies.

Sullivan said that nothing had been recovered from Link in the case, noting that she had spent more than $10,000 of the money on firearms at Top Gun in Daytona Beach, and purchased 28 Versace products as well as items from Louis Vuitton. He said none of the property had been turned over to the state. She also lived in a luxury apartment where she paid $2,000 a month in rent.

Sullivan said the theft hurt Security First Insurance, a company in the local community, resulting in a "trickle-down effect on the people who work there." Sullivan said the theft hurt Security First's reputation and the insurance company now has to pay a higher rate for its insurance.

Link’s defense attorney, John Terhune of Aaron Delgado and Associates, argued for no jail time, only probation, saying that she had no criminal record. According to a motion filed by Terhune, Link suffers from a mental disorder.

Terhune said that while Link could not return to work in the financial sector, she could go back to work and start making payments on the restitution. He said there was no telling what could happen in the future and perhaps she could get an inheritance.

Judge Weston denied Terhune’s request for the probation but also said that the prosecutor's request for 18 years in prison was too long. The judge said it was rare that even violent criminals get 18 years in prison and very rare for people without a criminal history to get 18 years.

"I believe that you are remorseful for the behavior, not just getting caught for it," Weston said.

Weston said that felony probation would be difficult, requiring Link to report regularly to a probation officer, and she would also be subject to searches of her person, home and car without prior notice. She will have to undergo random urinalysis, among other requirements. She said Link would be a convicted felon, which would impact her life in many ways.

Security First Insurance was insured for the loss minus a $50,000 deductible. Link will have to pay restitution to the insurance company that covered Security First's loss.

Security First Insurance Marketing and Communications Director Wendy Maddalone provided a statement from Burt: “We appreciate the efforts of the State Attorney and his staff to put Samantha Link behind bars.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Accountant who bilked Security First Insurance gets 4 years prison, must make restitution