Nonprofit chief convicted

FORT MYERS — State officials say the former executive director of a nonprofit serving disabled people in Southwest Florida was convicted on Friday of misappropriating more than $900,000.

Robert Michael Eugene Bruist, 37, of Fort Myers, was convicted of three felonies for misappropriating $900,000 from the Center for Independent Living of Southwest Florida. He faces up to 65 years in prison.

“Stealing from hard-working, law-abiding taxpayers is an intolerable act of selfishness, and I applaud the investigators and the jury for making sure justice was served,” says Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, in a statement. “The Center for Independent Living provided a valuable service to the residents of Southwest Florida, and this man's careless actions cheated them out of the assistance they deserved.”

State investigators say Bruist stole state money, federal grants and individual donations to fund an extravagant lifestyle that included international travel. CFO Atwater's Office of Fiscal Integrity and the Florida Department of Education's Office of Inspector General investigated the case.