In a news release, deputies said that an investigation into the theft began after the sheriff’s office received complaints in April 2024 from residents at the Smyrna Beach Club condo complex.

Around that time, residents alleged that the condo association president and manager — Julius Bruggeman, 76 — was embezzling funds from the association’s bank accounts.

Investigators said they found evidence to confirm these suspicions, so detectives searched the condo association’s office and Bruggeman’s condo unit, where he had lived for over a decade.

During their search, detectives found several documents from the office, but Bruggeman’s unit was “completely empty,” as he’d reportedly moved out just a few days earlier and “seemed to be in a hurry,” the release shows.

“During a 7-month investigation, evidence was uncovered that showed Bruggeman had almost total control over the association’s finances,” the release reads. “He installed friends on the association board and authorized the purchase of health care policies for them with association funds.

In all, deputies said they discovered that Bruggeman may have stolen or misappropriated around $1 million over the course of a decade, though due to statutes of limitations and the inability to recover documentation from previous years, charges are only possible for crimes committed within the last three years.

Deputies added that a financial audit was performed after Bruggeman’s “hasty departure,” and budget shortfalls tied directly to his activities caused all owners’ monthly association fees to double.