Florida Woman Who Faked Death After Gambling Stolen $4 Million Gets 10 Years

Florida Woman Who Faked Death After Gambling Stolen $4 Million Gets 10 Years

A woman from Florida who stole over $4 million from her employer and tried to stage her own death has received a 10-year prison sentence for wire fraud and money laundering. 

Madelyn Hernandez, 49, from Lee County, embezzled $4,199,498.42 from a supply chain company involved in textiles and apparel, which is not named in court records. 

She was employed remotely by the company for 16 years prior to submitting fake invoices from alleged supply firms, routing payments to her bank accounts. 

Pretending It 

According to prosecutors, Hernandez was responsible for ordering from vendors and overseeing shipping, invoicing, and inventory for the firm, which was initially located in New York prior to becoming fully remote in 2019. 

The fraudulent invoice operation lasted from 2018 to 2024. Fraudulent vendors encompassed a fictitious firm called Cape Prints, which was established by Hernandez in August 2019. 

According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, she spent the stolen money on “gambling and personal expenses.” 

The plan fell apart in June 2024 when an internal audit disclosed that multiple invoices, inventory records, and proof-of-delivery documents provided by Hernandez were fake. 

Under investigation, Hernandez messaged her employer, pretending to be a family member, stating that she had passed away from surgical complications. 

Returned from the grave 

The firm reached out to law enforcement, initiating an inquiry by the FBI and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service. This resulted in the implementation of a search warrant at Hernandez’s home in October 2024, where she was unexpectedly discovered alive and well. 

While being questioned, she confessed to staging her own death and stealing from her employer. She asserted that she “did not believe what she took amounted to $4 million,” as stated in court documents. 

On January 28 this year, Hernandez admitted guilt and has been directed to surrender the $4 million as a component of her punishment.