Okaloosa tourism funds investigation continues

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WALA) - The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s office arrested one man and issued a warrant for another on Monday in Pennsylvania as part of an ongoing investigation into the misuse of county tourism funds.

The OCSO said Nathan Wilson, of Destin, and Robert Boudreau of Mars, Penn. are charged with grand theft. Authorities said they, together are believed to have accepted $31,000 in tourism funds in June 2012 to organize events that never happened.

Related: Tourism scandal involved 'outside entities', says OCSO

Officials said Wilson, 39, accepted $7,000 to coordinate a relay race called “Emerald Coast to Coast, Inc.” but the race never took place.

Investigators said the money was never returned to the county, and Wilson has not provided documentation to indicate the money was used as the application he submitted said it would be.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Boudreau, 84, who is accused of taking $25,000 from the Tourism Development Council. Investigators said the suspect serves as the Music Director for the American Wind Symphony Orchestra, and never organized the concert.

He told investigators there was a ‘hospitality problem’ because there was no local housing for the orchestra members.

Boudreau said he does not plan to return the money, which he kept as a donation to the orchestra after not hearing from then-tourism director Mark Bellinger, investigators said.

Bellinger was found dead from what authorities said was a suspected drug overdose after having gone missing in May 2012. The OCSO had issued a warrant alleging he’d misused tourism funds to buy a home.

Bellinger had resigned after admitting to buying a $710,000 yacht with bed tax dollars.