A horse clinic in Florida erroneously paid a receptionist using a veterinarian’s checks, and now this employee, who earns $60,000 annually, is accused of embezzling substantial amounts of money.
Yessica Arrua, 29, of Wellington, was arrested on June 27 after allegedly pocketing more than $400,000 of someone else’s salary.
According to a police report from the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) acquired by the Daily Mail, issues emerged in early 2023 when the CFO of the Palm Beach Equine Clinic (PBEC) noticed the error. The CFO alerted the payroll provider, Harbor America, about mistakenly entering another person’s information into Arrua’s account.
The report reveals that Arrua, originally from Argentina, was being compensated as if she were a veterinarian, approximately seven times her actual salary, from February 2022 until January 2023.
While she allegedly admitted to knowing she was getting overpaid, she never reported the discrepancy to the clinic.
She allegedly had used the extra money at stores including Coach, Michael Kors, furniture shops and restaurants. Thousands of dollars were also sent through Zelle to ‘Mama Dukes’, according to the police report.
The report also revealed $80,000 of the money was used to purchase a food truck for a friend of Arrua’s mother, and Arrua also admitted to sending money to people in Argentina to build a house.
The police report said that Arrua believed the extra funds in her account was a ‘bonus’ for her work as a receptionist.
Yessica Arrua (pictured), 29, of Wellington, was arrested after allegedly pocketing more than $400,000 of someone else’s salary
The Argentina native (pictured) has been charged with grand theft of $100,000 or more and money laundering of $100,000 or more, according to arrest records
She said she ‘heard rumors before that the previous receptionist had received one for saving the practice money on supplies’.
Arrua had worked at the practice for nine years, and she had known the company president – who was the person to eventually call the police – since she was nine years old.
The police report stated that the $450,000-a-year veterinarian – who was supposed to receive those checks – ‘did not monitor her checking account and deposits for the past year’, therefore she didn’t notice she hadn’t received her salary payments until a few of her credit cards declined.
After Arrua allegedly collected eight to 10 months of the fraudulent direct deposit payments, the veterinarian confronted her.
Arrua ‘broke down crying and admitted the criminal action’, according to the police report.
In response to being called out, Arrua wrote out a cashier’s check for $200,000 of the estimated $414,000 she pocketed.
But she claimed she could not return the rest of the money because her mother had already sent $100,000 of it to family in Argentina. They thought it was a ‘gift from God’, according to the police report.
When asked by police why she hadn’t attempted to return the remaining money or work out a payment plan she said she did not know how to approach the company president as he was ‘so angry’.
In response to being called out, Arrua (pictured) wrote out a cashier’s check to return $200,000 of the estimated $416,291.05 she earned, police said
Arrua has been charged with grand theft of $100,000 or more and money laundering of $100,000 or more.
Arrua remains in custody at Palm Beach’s Main Detention Center.
Arrua’s mother was contacted by the Daily Mail, but said she needed to consult her lawyer before responding.
A feature on the company’s website shares an interview with Arrua. In it she says, ‘I have been around horses since I was three years old. Both my parents have been working with horses since before I can remember.
‘They both traveled to Florida to pursue work with horses here and that is how I came to be a resident of Wellington and a team member with Palm Beach Equine Clinic.’
The PBEC opened its doors in 1981 and is led by President Dr. Scott Swerdlin.
It is a full-service horse medical facility that offers around the clock care for the animals.
Palm Beach Equine Clinic is pictured above. Arrua worked there for nine years
While Arrua (pictured) allegedly admitted to knowing she was getting overpaid, she never reported the discrepancy to the clinic
When the Daily Mail called the business, one employee hung up immediately and another said they could not comment.
The police report also stated that President Swerdlin wanted Harbor America and Arrua to be held accountable.
The police report states the investigating officer had identified ‘several mistakes attributed to the third-party company, Harbor America’ but had struggled to make contact with representatives from the firm for clarification.
When police eventually did make contact, they discovered that the individuals with firsthand knowledge of the error were no longer employed by the firm.
Harbor America has not returned the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
