TLDR
- Philip Lee Sullivan, 43, was sentenced to 118½ months in state prison for stealing $1.4 million from his former employer.
- Sullivan was chief financial officer at Royal American, a Panama City property management company, when he took the money over 11 months.
- He was arrested in March 2024 and became director of Florida’s 888-ADMIT-IT gambling helpline in March 2025.
- His wife and lawyers blamed prescription Adderall for his gambling, but prosecutors said he planned and hid the thefts.
- Sullivan was ordered to start his sentence immediately and has 30 days to appeal.
The director of a Florida gambling addiction helpline has been sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison. Philip Lee Sullivan, 43, stole $1.4 million from a former employer to fund his gambling habit.
Bay County Judge Tim Register handed down a sentence of 118½ months in state prison on Friday, October 16. Sullivan pleaded no contest to six felony charges.
Sullivan was the chief financial officer at Royal American, a property management company in Panama City. Prosecutors said he took the money over just 11 months.
He was arrested in March 2024. The arrest followed an internal audit at Royal American that found many unauthorized transactions on a company credit card.
Royal American’s controller, Shannon Scribner, testified at the hearing. She said Sullivan used corporate credit cards to buy gift cards and cash cards online.
Scribner told the court he did not simply take advantage of an opportunity. She said he deliberately worked around safeguards designed to prevent fraud.
From Gambling Debts to Helpline Director
In March 2025, a year after his arrest, Sullivan became helpline director for the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling. The nonprofit runs the state’s 888-ADMIT-IT problem gambling service.
In a podcast interview released three days before his sentencing, Sullivan said his addiction wiped out his savings and left him in debt. The interview was published by ODAAT Gambling Awareness.
He said he kept gambling in the hope of winning enough money to pay back what he had taken.
According to the interview, Sullivan helped hundreds of people struggling with gambling addiction through his work at the helpline.
The father of two had also spoken publicly about his recovery. He discussed his efforts to rebuild his family life while he waited for sentencing.
Defense Points to Prescription Drug
At the hearing, Sullivan’s family and lawyers argued that his gambling was made worse by Adderall. The prescription drug is commonly used to treat ADHD.
His wife, Mallory, testified that she saw his behavior change after he started taking the medication.
“I firmly believe … that if it weren’t for this medication, he would not have done that,” she told the court, according to WMBB.
Prosecutors disputed that view. They argued that Sullivan planned the thefts and made deliberate efforts to hide them.
Sullivan was ordered to begin serving his sentence immediately. He has 30 days from his sentencing date to file an appeal.
