Florida Judge Orders Woman to Pay $11,490 in Restitution After Theft Conviction at Key West School

A 60-year-old former business manager at a Key West private school must repay more than $11,490 in restitution after accepting responsibility for theft charges spanning from 2012 to 2014. Monroe County Circuit Judge Mark Wilson accepted Lori A. Kerbel’s no contest plea on July 28 and imposed a 270-day jail sentence, five-year probation term, and 50 hours of community service, according to Monroe County prosecutors. Kerbel was remanded into custody at Monroe County Jail following the ruling.

Kerbel served as business manager and bookkeeper at Montessori Children’s School from October 2012 through August 2014, during which time she made unauthorized personal purchases using school funds and credit cards. Her expenditures included health insurance upgrades, home furnishings, electronics, jewelry, and clothing items, the Key West Police Department reported. Prosecutors filed third-degree grand theft charges on December 9, 2014, alleging theft of between $10,000 and $20,000.

An arrest warrant was issued in 2014, but deputies did not locate and serve Kerbel until August 17, 2018. She initially pleaded not guilty on September 6, 2018, with bond set at $15,000 and later notified the court in December 2018 that she had relocated to Corinth, Texas. Court records show extended inactivity in the case from February 2022 until March 25, 2025, when a substitution of counsel was filed.