A Florida woman has been arrested and is facing charges of grand theft and money laundering after she allegedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of a company's “bonus” she was sent by mistake.
A receptionist spends a vet’s annual salary
According to a police report, Yessica Arrua was hired at a $60,000 salary by the Palm Beach Equine Clinic but erroneously received the paycheck of a veterinarian who earns $450,000 annually, and went unpaid for a year without realizing, as a result of a payroll mix-up.
Rather than question why the huge sum had ended up in her account, Arrua told investigators she believed the money to be a bonus, having heard rumors that her predecessor had received a similar one for saving money on supplies.
Luxury purchases and family hand-outs
Per the Daily Mail, the 29-year-old used the money to buy luxury goods from Coach and Michael Kors, furniture, restaurant meals and an $80,000 food truck for a family friend. She also reportedly gave $100,000 to her mother to send to her family in Argentina.
Arrua was eventually rumbled by the company president, who called the police, and then confronted by the veterinarian, who finally became aware of the issue when her credit cards were repeatedly declined.
Florida woman was charged after being unable to pay money back
In response, the receptionist wrote out a cashier’s check for $200,000 of the estimated $414,000 she mistakenly received, claiming there was no way for her to return the remaining amount.
Arrua, who remains in custody at Palm Beach’s Main Detention Center, has been charged with grand theft of $100,000 or more and money laundering of $100,000 or more.