A St. Petersburg man was recently arrested for a scheme to defraud his employer.
Detectives assigned to the Economic Crimes Unit arrested the man for Scheme to Defraud after stealing several high-end watches from his employer.
Detectives began an investigation after a report of a theft by an employee of Gold & Diamond Source, located a 3800 Ulmerton Road. Detectives learned the employee, later identified as 32-year-old Michael Kelly, stole several high-end watches from the business between October 31, 2021, and May 3, 2025.
Detectives say Kelly entered fictitious information into the point-of-sale system, making the business believe a watch sale occurred. Kelly created false sales records indicating a customer traded in a watch and purchased another, however, Kelly would steal a watch from inventory and place it in his suit jacket. Kelly was seen on surveillance video entering fictitious trade-in transactions, with no customer present…