Florida Worker Arrested for Embezzling $400K Overpayment

Yessica Arrua, a receptionist earning $60,000 annually at a Florida horse clinic, was mistakenly paid over $400,000 intended for a veterinarian due to a payroll error from February 2022 to January 2023. Despite allegedly knowing she was being overpaid, Arrua reportedly believed the excess was a bonus and did not report the discrepancy, spending the funds on luxury shopping, transferring money to family and friends, and purchasing a food truck. The error was discovered by the clinic’s CFO in early 2023, who alerted the payroll provider after realizing another employee's information had been mistakenly entered into Arrua's account. The veterinarian, who earns $450,000, did not monitor her account and failed to notice the missing payments. Arrua, who had worked at the clinic for nine years and had a longstanding relationship with the company president, was arrested on June 27 and faces charges of theft and money laundering. The police report also details that Arrua sent money to Argentina to build a house and distributed funds via Zelle to a contact nicknamed 'Mama Dukes.'