When RJ Webb became president of the East Polk County Association of Realtors in 2021, he noticed something wasn’t right. The numbers didn’t add up, and when he asked for financial documents, the association’s CEO refused to provide them.
What followed was a year-long battle that ended with criminal charges, alleged extortion attempts, and a cautionary tale about how small membership organizations across America are vulnerable to theft.
On Nov. 21, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced the arrest of 53-year-old Jennifer Garula-Mers, the former CEO of the East Polk County Association of Realtors (EPCAR), on charges of grand theft involving more than $81,000, according to 10News Tampa Bay (1). The case has left the realtor association “on the ropes” and “all but broke,” Judd said at a press conference, forcing the organization to consider merging with another association just to survive…