LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — Investigators say the former manager of Polk County Animal Clinic is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from the business and leaving it on the brink of collapse.
Detectives said Emily Lorenzano, who had been managing TLC Petsnip for several years, diverted cash deposits and used a clinic credit card for personal expenses. A forensic audit revealed fraudulent purchases on Amazon and Walmart, and a lack of deposits and purchases of over $2,000. Investigators said the money was even directed to remodeling the kitchen at her Lakeland home.
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“When we first intervened, [we] “We’ve seen a lot of experience in our clinic,” said Shannon Medina, director of the clinic.
She said the debts were quickly piled up.
“$300,000, we had to try and get an arrangement with someone who was doing business with the pharmacy company, TLC and someone who wasn’t paid,” Medina explained.
Financial Fallout forced the clinic to cut down services for families that were dependent on for affordable care.
“We had to stop space and castration. We stopped health. We had to reorganize the reviews and get the surgeon back. We had to get on the boat quite a bit,” Medina said.
Lorenzano has been charged with a scheme of massive theft over $20,000, credit card misuse and fraudulent schemes over $50,000. In total, investigators said the clinic has lost more than $97,000.
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