A Florida woman faked her own death after being investigated for stealing over $4 million from her employer.
Madelyn Hernandez, 49, of Lee County, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors said Hernandez worked remotely for a textiles and apparel company for 20 years where she placed orders with vendors and managed shipping, invoicing, and inventory. She schemed the business out of $4,199,498.42 between 2018 and 2024.
During the six-year period, Hernandez submitted fraudulent invoices via email from purported fabric supply companies and directed that payment be sent to her bank accounts. Hernandez spent the money on personal expenses and gambling, according to prosecutors.
It wasn’t until 2024 that the company, not named by prosecutors, found discrepancies in its financial records tied to Hernandez. In June 2024, the company became aware that invoices, proof of delivery records, and inventory reports that Hernandez had submitted were fraudulent.
As the company was investigating and unraveling the fraudulent records, Hernandez sent a message to her employer, pretending to be a family member. The message said Hernandez died after an illness and complications from surgery.
The company alerted the authorities after receiving the message, and the FBI and Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation executed a search warrant for Hernandez’s home in October.
There, Hernandez admitted to agents that she emailed fake invoices to the company for payment and had used the money deposited into her account, held in a fictitious company name.
She also admitted to sending the message faking her own death to her employer.
Hernandez said that she “did not think what she took was as high as $4 million,” according to court documents. Prosecutors said that she would occasionally return some of the funds she stole so the company would not find out what she was doing.
Hernandez entered a guilty plea on January 28 and has been ordered to forfeit the $4 million as part of her sentence.
