Mary Jean Bender

An employee of Palms West Medical Center in Loxahatchee stole more than $100,000 from the hospital in less than two years, authorities said in arrest records made public today.

Mary Jean Bender, 58, of Wellington was taken into custody Wednesday on charges of grand larceny and fraud.

Bender, a facilities cashier, was responsible for totaling all incoming cash from hospital patients and insurance companies, according to an affidavit for her arrest.

Beginning in December 2007, she falsified deposit slips to make off with more than $123,000, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office detectives said.

The missing money was discovered during a hospital audit. The Palms West accounting department still is reviewing records.