Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Police say a West Palm Beach man stole nearly $191,000 from his employer and faked a coma after the company began questioning him for suddenly disappearing from work.
Investigators with the Riviera Beach Police Department say 33-year-old Bahaa Abughalia of West Palm Beach was hired in January of 2026 to manage accounts payable for Excell Refrigeration in Riviera Beach.
According to court documents, Abughalia frequently missed work or asked to work remotely, claiming his young son was ill.
The situation escalated when Abughalia completely stopped coming to work, according to the criminal probable cause affidavit.
On April 9 the company’s owner told police they received a text message claiming to be from Abughalia’s wife, stating he was in a coma following a severe accident. However, company IT personnel discovered Abughalia had logged into his work computer just a day prior, while he was allegedly in a coma.
Read more: cbs12.com/news/local/west-palm-beach-man-arrested-police-say-faked-coma-cover-up-190k-embezzlement-riviera-beach-police-bahaa-abughalia-west-palm-beach-accounts-payable-employee-employee-theft-workplace-fraud-19078891-theft-190000-theft-fake-coma
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#CBS12NEWS #WPEC #WestPalmBeach #SouthFlorida #News #BreakingNews
Police say a West Palm Beach man stole nearly $191,000 from his employer and faked a coma after the company began questioning him for suddenly disappearing from work.
Investigators with the Riviera Beach Police Department say 33-year-old Bahaa Abughalia of West Palm Beach was hired in January of 2026 to manage accounts payable for Excell Refrigeration in Riviera Beach.
According to court documents, Abughalia frequently missed work or asked to work remotely, claiming his young son was ill.
The situation escalated when Abughalia completely stopped coming to work, according to the criminal probable cause affidavit.
On April 9 the company’s owner told police they received a text message claiming to be from Abughalia’s wife, stating he was in a coma following a severe accident. However, company IT personnel discovered Abughalia had logged into his work computer just a day prior, while he was allegedly in a coma.
Read more: cbs12.com/news/local/west-palm-beach-man-arrested-police-say-faked-coma-cover-up-190k-embezzlement-riviera-beach-police-bahaa-abughalia-west-palm-beach-accounts-payable-employee-employee-theft-workplace-fraud-19078891-theft-190000-theft-fake-coma
_______________
Stay up to date with our social media:
WPEC on Facebook: facebook.com/CBS12News
WPEC on : https://x.com/cbs12
Subscribe to WPEC on YouTube:
youtube.com/channel/UCsIzhRSKbRtvBGsiLHfcGOA/?sub_confirmation=1
WPEC Daily News Digest: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoGNi-_QL0YEz2Pqv7Thy30ageLTzR6p_
WPEC CBS12 is South Florida's source for local news, weather forecasts, sports and community events spanning West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, Stuart, Vero Beach, Okeechobee, along with the rest of the Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches. We are TheOneToTurnTo.
For more information, visit cbs12.com
Have a tip? Email us at tips@cbs12.com
Call the Newsroom: 561.844.1212
Have a video or photo you want to share? Upload it to cbs12.com/chimein
WPEC is a FL based station and a CBS Television affiliate owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today.
#CBS12NEWS #WPEC #WestPalmBeach #SouthFlorida #News #BreakingNews
