ST. PETERSBURG — Two days after he took over BayWalk, interim property manager Howard Rosenthal was arrested Thursday by Pinellas Sheriff’s detectives and accused of stealing almost $171,000 from his former company, Colliers Arnold of Clearwater.
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According to detectives, Rosenthal, 53, double-billed nearly $145,000 in company advertising charges. He also double-billed air travel receipts, had the company pay for his wife’s travel and spent $1,000 on country club dues and almost $700 on hotel in-room movie charges.
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According to detectives, Rosenthal, 53, double-billed nearly $145,000 in company advertising charges. He also double-billed air travel receipts, had the company pay for his wife’s travel and spent $1,000 on country club dues and almost $700 on hotel in-room movie charges.
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Rosenthal resigned from Colliers Arnold in August as questions began to surface about expenses he was charging to the company, detectives said. When he turned in his company-issued laptop, the hard drive had been wiped clean, said detectives, who launched their own criminal investigation in September.
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A warrant was issued for Rosenthal’s arrest on Wednesday, one day after he was awarded temporary control of BayWalk, the downtown St. Petersburg entertainment complex that fell into foreclosure.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Marianne Pasha described the timing of the arrest and Rosenthal’s involvement in Baywalk as a coincidence.
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It’s unclear if Rosenthal will be allowed to continue to manage the property. Rosenthal had promised to beef up security at the downtown complex and launch a new marketing plan aimed at attracting both visitors and businesses.
