OAKLAND PARK, FLA. (WSVN) - The president of a homeowners association in Oakland Park accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from residents bonded out of jail and denied allegations of grand theft against him.
7News cameras captured 76-year-old Harry Murphy, as he was wheeled out of the Broward County Jail in a wheelchair, Thursday evening.
When asked whether he is the president of the Oakland Forest Homeowners Association, he said, “That’s correct.”
When asked why he thinks he was arrested and accused of stealing more than $44,000 from residents, he replied, “They can say what they want to say. I think they’re lying.”
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Murphy wrote personal checks to himself with funds from the homeowners association, including thousands of dollars he used to pay for repairs to his personal car.
Oakland Forest residents said they became suspicious two years ago when they received notice that the association reserve fund was short by more than half a million dollars.
“I got involved by going around to neighbors, saying, ‘Hey, let’s waive it for now, until we find out what happened to all this missing money,'” said resident Rodolfo Price.
“We’re in bad shape, and that is going to result in an extremely high assessment,” said resident Jo Ellen Gould.
Detectives said residents also became suspicious when records showed that Murphy wrote checks ranging $600 to $20 for “supplies” with no receipts. The information had been turned over the authorities.
“I mean, they don’t arrest someone on hearsay,” said Gould. “They arrest someone because of the facts, the documents.”
“One of the checks to Home Depot was probably like $800. It said, for ‘supplies,’” said Price. “Now, you and I both know that you cannot go to Home Depot and spend even $800 on any supplies because there’s taxes involved. Money is my thing, and ultimately he messed with my money, and as a result I said, ‘You know what?’ I asked him a couple of times what’s going on with the money, and he said, ‘The attorneys are taking care of it.’ As a CPA, that doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Murphy has been charged with grand theft.
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