UPDATE: The City of Ocala responded with the following statement: “City leadership recently learned that the City of Ocala was the victim of a fraudulent scheme that resulted in the theft of $277,799.81. Upon learning of the incident, City leadership immediately initiated a comprehensive response. Steps were taken to evaluate the City’s systems and security measures, and investigations were initiated to determine the facts surrounding the incident. No city systems were compromised as this was a business email compromise. Those investigations are currently being conducted by the City’s Internal Auditor, the City’s insurance providers, and other appropriate agencies. The City of Ocala is committed to transparency and accountability. However, because the investigations remain active, we are limited in the information we can release at this time. Releasing additional details before the investigations are complete could compromise the investigative process and any potential recovery efforts. The City of Ocala will provide additional information as appropriate once the investigations have been completed and the underlying facts have been verified.”
OCALA, FL (352Today.com) – At the end of the Ocala City Council meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, Councilman Jim Hilty pressed City Manager Pete Lee on the city’s handling of a nearly $500,000 fraud case that officials said began in April and came to light in late July.
“There was some interesting comment here tonight about different things that seem to be happening with citizens, and of course, we all heard this week that the city was fleeced out of almost $500,000,” Hilty said. “I would have thought tonight would have been the night that you would be transparent to the public, rather than us having to ask that. I realize the investigation is still going on, but I think that the public needs to know that we had a fraud case dating back to May, which obviously was covered up for whatever reasons. But again, I think it’s time for that to come public.”…