Alleged thief claims accuser wanted deeds to her home

An accountant accused of defrauding her employers of more than $700,000 claims the complaint against her arose because her boss had a keen interest in acquiring her house.

Bambi Lee Pimental, 54, testified that during her time at JW Gray and Co, Jonathan Gray repeatedly expressed interest in her property, often telling her he would like to buy it if she ever decided to sell. She added that she had observed Mr. Gray researching the property’s annual rental value online. On two separate occasions, she found him on her property without permission.

“He was always inquiring about the house, walking on my property at his leisure, despite the ‘no trespassing’ sign on the pillar,” Pimental stated. “I don’t know how many times he has done that. I caught him twice.”

Pimental also claimed that a day after she was confronted regarding the alleged theft, Mr. Gray contacted her and asked for the deeds to her house. When she refused, he then inquired about the deeds to her condo. Pimental explained that the condo was not hers to sell.

“I can only assume from all of this that his intention was to take my house from me,” she said.

However, during cross-examination, Pimental acknowledged that Mr. Gray had not been questioned about the conversations concerning the house during her employment, nor about the incidents where she found him on her property. Nonetheless, she maintained that these events had occurred. “The conversations happened, and my opinion that he wanted the house is based on that,” she asserted. “He said he wanted the house.”

Pimental has pleaded not guilty to three counts of theft, fraudulent false accounting, and using criminal property while subcontracted by JW Gray and Co between June 2016 and June 2020.

Todd Boyd, an accountant who reviewed Pimental’s transactions, testified that the cash flow into her three accounts did not match what she should have been earning. He pointed out that many transactions were recorded either before their actual dates or afterward, with some even listed in 2014—two years before Pimental started working for the company.

Among the questionable transactions, Boyd noted $27,512 in payments to Disney Resorts made in five installments in 2019, and an additional $11,828 to Smith and Wick, a boating equipment company in Florida.

On her third day on the stand, Pimental disputed the claims, describing them as “inaccurate.” She argued that Boyd used her starting salary as a “rule of thumb” without considering subsequent changes in her income. Pimental also claimed that Mr. Gray was dishonest about the amount of work she performed and that Boyd lacked the full context.

“[Mr. Gray] withheld information, he withheld my invoices, and he was not truthful about the work I was doing,” she said. “I was always multitasking—sometimes doing three things at once.”

Regarding the payments to Disney, Pimental explained that they were for a nine-person holiday she had arranged to celebrate her 50th birthday. She emphasized that it was her first holiday in 11 years and that she planned it over a weekend to remain available for her work at JW Gray and Co.

As for the transfer to Smith and Wick, she claimed it was made on behalf of the company because she was unable to send it directly from the business’s account.

Pimental also recounted a meeting in June 2020 where Mr. Gray confronted her about the alleged theft. “It was a direct confrontation, very intimidating,” she said. “He walked over to me, stood beside me, and wouldn’t let me touch my papers.”

When Mr. Gray accused her of overpaying herself, Pimental said her initial thought was of four or five “loans” she had taken, which had an outstanding balance of just over $20,000. She recalled, “He made a comment about hundreds of thousands of dollars, saying it would take years to repay. I can’t remember my exact response, but it was sarcastic.”

Later, when Mr. Gray suggested she owed $150,000 to $180,000, she said she was confused by the high amount but accepted it at the time. “I thought it had to be true,” she said. “I knew I hadn’t repaid my loans, so I thought I owed that. Why would he accuse me of owing that amount if I didn’t?”

However, Pimental insisted in court that Mr. Gray actually owed her money. When questioned during cross-examination about the so-called loans, she maintained that Mr. Gray had given her permission to take the money. “He offered on about three occasions, saying if I ever needed anything, he was there for me,” she said.

When prosecutors countered that it couldn’t be considered a loan without specific permission for each withdrawal, Pimental responded, “We can talk in circles, but that is my viewpoint.”

The trial is ongoing.