Posted on 07/14/2025 11:05:53 AM PDT by simpson96
For nearly a year, 29-year-old Yessica Arrua was living like a high-earning veterinarian despite working as a receptionist at a Florida horse clinic.
Thanks to a payroll mix-up, Arrua, who is originally from Argentina, allegedly pocketed more than $400,000 of another employee’s salary between February 2022 and January 2023, according to the Daily Mail. During this time, Arrua’s paychecks were nearly seven times her actual salary, according to a police report from the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office.
The error went unnoticed until the Palm Beach Equine Clinic’s CFO discovered the issue and flagged it with their payroll provider, Harbor America. But what’s even more shocking is how long the payroll error went unnoticed — even the veterinarian who was supposed to be making $450,000 a year only noticed when her credit cards declined.
Arrua, a nine-year clinic employee who even knew the company’s president, is now at the center of a criminal investigation — and it was that same president who ultimately called the police.
(snip) Arrua allegedly noticed she was being overpaid and instead of reporting the error, she went on a luxury shopping spree.
The report details purchases at high-end retailers like Coach and Michael Kors, purchases at restaurants and furniture stores, and thousands of dollars sent through Zelle to someone listed as “Mama Dukes.” Investigators also discovered that $80,000 went toward buying a food truck for a friend of her mother’s. Arrua also admitted to sending additional funds to Argentina to help build a house.
She has since been formally charged with grand theft of $100,000 or more and money laundering of $100,000 or more — both first-degree felonies under Florida law.
According to Florida Statute 812.014, theft involving that amount can carry a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, along with steep fines.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
I HATE TO TELL YOU ALL THIS:
I HAVE HORSES.
I USE A MOBILE VETERINARIAN.
SHE COMES TO THE RANCH-—LAYS DOWN AN 18 month old COLT, GELDS IT, WAKES IT BACK UP & WATCHES IT FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES TO MAKE SURE IT IS OK-—
FOR A FEE OF $165 PLUS a ranch call of $30. IF she has another client near by-—she cuts the ranch call to $15.
LOCAL SMALL ANIMAL VET WANTED $600 to neuter a Rottweiler.
AND they wonder why dogs do not get neutered.
THE AAA ad with the 5 kids in a car that has a flat tire makes me want to kill them all.
It’s possible if someone has a very high income, a high amount in their checking account, spends much less than they earn and pays all bills with automatic payment.
Automatic Payment is OK for bills that are the same every month. Bills like a credit card need to be looked at before paying.
As a small business owner, I can tell you firsthand that an employee will never tell you they were overpaid for the pay period. But when you discover that error and reduce their check to cover the overpayment, they will come marching in demanding to know why their check is less than it should be.
I look at every check...every week. Shocking that they didn’t catch this immediately.
We had a similar error a few years back. One of the draftsman received the Christmas bonus that should have went to the co-owner of the company. HR didn’t notice that the 2nd highest Christmas bonus went to one of the guys with a small salary.
It took them a week to figure it out, and the guy that got the bonus? He had already spent it on a cruise and gifts for the wife.
Part of the problem was the owners didn’t bother to hire people who had been trained for the position they had. Instead he just promoted the receptionist to the job of HR Manager.
Stupid stuff like that almost bankrupted the company.
I’ve written 4-5 checks in the last 3-4 years. Everything else is auto-pay. Makes life easie, but I do check my checking and savings accounts every 1-2 days to make sure no one has hacked my accounts.
Their trusting nature puzzles me.
And the Horse Doctor who was shorted must have ignored her bank statements, or worse...gone paperless!
On autopay, no doubt. That'll keep you paid up until you run out.
Why do I wonder if the perp, and her parents, are American citizens...?
And if her former employer uses E-Verify...
Works out OK for us...never a missed or late payment equals an 800+ credit score. Nice to have, even if seldom used.
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