Home / Crime and Justice / Bookkeeper Stole $556K, Flees Across Country
Bookkeeper Stole $556K, Flees Across Country
22 Feb
Summary
- Bookkeeper Ida Hernandez sentenced to over four years in prison.
- She embezzled at least $556,000 from a medical practice.
- Hernandez fled across state lines, committing further alleged thefts.
Ida Veronica Hernandez, a 45-year-old former bookkeeper, received a sentence of four years and four months in state prison for embezzling more than $556,000 from a Thousand Oaks medical practice. She admitted to seven felony grand theft counts and filing a false document, acknowledging losses exceeding $100,000.
Between 2020 and 2021, Hernandez systematically transferred significant amounts of business funds into accounts she controlled, including those of relatives, while using multiple aliases. She also manipulated payroll to benefit family and friends.
Upon discovering financial irregularities, Hernandez abruptly resigned and fled the area. She is accused of continuing her alleged theft activities in Orange County, leading to an arrest warrant.
Further financial crimes were alleged in Plano, Texas, where she fled before investigators located her during her cross-country travel.
In addition to her prison sentence, Hernandez was ordered to pay $560,000 in restitution to the medical practice she defrauded.
