Woman treated 'like a sister' accused of embezzling $158,000 from business

Suspect forged 41 checks, police say

ROCKLEDGE, Fla. – Over three years, a Blue Marlin Pools employee was embezzling money from the company in increments of thousands of dollars at a time, according to arrest documents. 

Danielle Kahl, 44, of Melbourne, was charged Wednesday with scheming to defraud and grand theft after detectives and her former employers said she stole $158,000 from the company, News 6 partner Florida Today reported.

Rockledge police began investigating in May after the owners of Blue Marlin Pools on Barton Boulevard realized the signature on a check had been forged.

The discovery prompted owners to go through their books for the past three years. 

Detectives found Kahl had deposited dozens of checks into her personal bank accounts since June 2016, ranging between $300 and and almost $9,000.

When the fraudulent deposits began three years ago, records showed smaller deposits of under $3,000. By last year, Kahl began depositing multiple checks from her company above $8,000, according to police reports. 

Kahl was fired from her job and the owners told detectives they "would have done anything for her as an employee and treated her like a sister." 

She is being held at the Brevard County Jail in lieu of $79,000 bond. 


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