PANAMA CITY — A former Bay County employee has been ordered to repay her employer — the Bay County Commission — about $48,000 in restitution, according to court documents.
Gina Rena Gainey, 43, pleaded no contest Thursday charges of forgery, scheming to defraud and grand theft.
Gainey, former executive administrative assistant to the Bay County Commission, was arrested in November after co-workers learned through casual conversations with other county employees that Gainey falsified information on her employment application. An investigation followed, in which officials found she had falsified grades in county-funded college classes, bolstering the amount she received to about $48,830.
Once Gainey admitted to falsifying information on her employment application, investigators discovered she had been fired from a company called BetterBuilt in 2006 amidst embezzlement allegations.
Gainey never admitted to the allegations but the company estimated she owed about $200,000.
The county subsequently conducted a review of all financial transactions Gainey had conducted while employed by Bay County.
Investigators later discovered that between June 2008 and August 2012, Gainey had been taking online courses through Birmingham, Ala.-based Virginia College, the arrest report states, and was paid with county funds for multiple classes she never took.
The county’s investigation also determined Gainey received compensation from the Veterans Administration, a scholarship from her husband’s branch of military service and Pell grants, according to arrest records.
Gainey pleaded no contest to grand theft, forgery and scheme to defraud Thursday. She was sentenced to repay the $48,830 and remain in state for the duration of a 10-year probation. Her probation could be terminated in five years if all conditions are met.