A brazen scheme to defraud her employer has landed a Lehigh Acres woman in the slammer for a decade. Madelyn Hernandez, 49, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for wire fraud and money laundering. The court also ordered her to forfeit $4,199,498.42, the ill-gotten gains from her scheme.
According to court documents, Hernandez was employed by a textile and apparel supply chain company when she began making false and fraudulent representations to secure cash. The defendant submitted fake invoices via email from purported fabric suppliers and directed her employer to send payments to bank accounts she controlled.
Hernandez’s scheme involved creating and submitting false invoices, claiming money was due and owing to a fictitious company and another that was defunct. Between 2018 and 2024, she raked in a total of $4,199,498.42 from her employer.
The employer’s owner stumbled upon the discrepancies in the company’s financial records, including inventory discrepancies and falsified business records. In June 2024, the company discovered that Hernandez’s submitted invoices, proof of delivery records, and inventory reports were all phony.
As the company investigated and unraveled the web of deceit, Hernandez sent a message to her employer, claiming she had died after an illness and complications with surgery. The company notified law enforcement, and in October 2024, agents with the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation executed a search warrant at Hernandez’s residence.
Hernandez eventually confessed to the agents that she had emailed fake invoices to her employer and used the deposited funds for personal expenses and gambling. She also admitted to sending the fake death notice.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava prosecuted the case.
Defendant: Madelyn Hernandez
Criminal Charges: Wire fraud and money laundering
City and State: Fort Myers, Florida
Date: January 28, 2025 (guilty plea), October 2024 (search warrant)
Sentence: 10 years in federal prison, forfeiture of $4,199,498.42
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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