Holly Elaine Connelly, rallying support for disaster relief in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, built a reputation on Anna Maria Island as a do-gooder.
But by late May, that reputation was tarnished. Already the Island was humming with allegations that Connelly, 29, a bookkeeper from Bradenton, had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars while she worked at the Key Royale Club.
Early July 27, Connelly, through her attorney, surrendered to authorities. She was arrested for scheming to defraud the private club of $387,181.77 and detained at the Manatee County jail on $500,000 bond.
Holmes Beach Police Department Detective Michael Leonard had been working on the case for months. Much of the investigation involved reviewing bank records.
“I do plenty of fraud investigations,” Leonard said. “But the extent of this investigation — it went back three years.”
The first public announcement of something amiss at the Key Royale Club, 700 Key Royale Drive, came in mid-May in a “Dear Members” letter from club president Craig Humphreys.
Humphreys said the board of directors was working to “continue normal operation of our club during this difficult time” and referred to a “recently discovered embezzlement.”
He announced a series of steps to protect the club in the future, as well as assure the club’s fiscal stability.
“The embezzlement is regrettable, but please do know that we are pursuing every means of prosecution and recovery, while we continue to operate the club in the (manner) to which you are accustomed,” wrote Humphreys, who has consistently declined to talk with The Islander about the matter.
In a July newsletter, Humphreys informed members that authorities were close to making an arrest.
That’s when Leonard, who is working with the state attorney’s office on the case, requested an arrest warrant, which was executed July 27.
HBPD Chief Jay Romine announced Connelly’s arrest mid-morning, in a news release.
“After months of extensive investigation, Ms. Connelly is accused of embezzling funds from the Key Royale Club during her employment there,” the release stated.
Later Romine said, “Detective Leonard … put many hours into this investigation and worked very closely with the state attorney’s office throughout.”
Connelly had worked for the Key Royale Club as an office administrator.
In February 2010, Connelly took a vacation from the job to go to Haiti with a Christian relief group, God’s Chosen Ones Ministry in Miami.
After she returned, she recounted her experience in a narrative for The Islander. Connelly concluded then, “I am back home now in Bradenton and back at work at the Key Royale Club, but a piece of my heart remains in Haiti. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I had to return to my family and my responsibilities.”
Connelly worked for Key Royale, dealing with club finances and operations, until April 2011. The arrest report from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office stated that she works for North River Investments in Palmetto.
Court documents state that Connelly “falsely represented the amount of money within the club’s accounts, wrote checks to herself and forged and uttered those checks at multiple Wachovia Banks.
Connelly allegedly “deposited those forged and uttered checked directly into her own bank account.”
In July, Humphreys told members, “We are finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel regarding our embezzlement problem. It has been a very slow, frustrating, and complicated process.”
On July 28, the day after Connelly’s arrest, Key Royale members expressed some relief, but still had questions about what happened to the money she allegedly took.
As of July 28, Connelly remained in the jail.
Court records show no other criminal complaints against her in Manatee County. There are records for cases involving a mortgage foreclosure, a traffic infraction and two small claims matters — the most recent in 2009.
We miss you Holly!!