Bay County deputies charged woman for allegedly making over $70,000 in fraudulent charges

BAY COUNTY, Fla. ( WMBB ) – The Bay County Sheriff’s Office arrested a woman on Friday after they said she was suspected of making over $70,000 in fraudulent charges on a victim’s credit card.

In March 2024, BCSO officials said they received a report that a former employee made a large amount of fraudulent credit card charges. The victim reported $70,000 in fraudulent payments on her company credit card to the suspect’s personal PayPal account, officials wrote.

According to a news release, the victim identified the employee as 36-year-old, Brittany S. Hargis, who had fraudulently removed the victim’s name from her business.

Hargis falsely filed documents listing herself as the owner of the victim’s business, officials said.

Investigators said she presented herself as the owner of a residence the victim owned located in Bay County and sold the residence.

The victim also reported that Hargis had sold the victim’s vehicle to a person who was unaware she didn’t own the vehicle, BCSO officials wrote.

Bay County Criminal Investigations Division said they began investigating the case and discovered Hargis had moved out of the state.

On Wednesday, investigators learned Hargis was on Panama City Beach, and taken into custody.

Hargis was charged with Grand Theft of over $100,000 and booked into the Bay County Jail, additional charges are pending.

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