Santa Ana, CA — A controller at two Anaheim-based companies has been indicted on 15 federal counts after allegedly stealing more than $3 million from her employers over a three-year span. Rosalba Meza, also known as “Rosalba Sceville,” 47, of Coto de Caza, faces charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns following a grand jury indictment unsealed today.
Between May 2017 and December 2019, Meza allegedly orchestrated a series of unauthorized transfers totaling $3,071,880 from bank accounts belonging to Trilogy Plumbing, Inc. and its related firm, Matrix Management, LLC. The funds were funneled into personal accounts under her control, according to the indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Santa Ana.
As the companies struggled to meet payroll, Meza falsely claimed in February 2019 that there was no money available — while concealing her ongoing theft. Months later, amid an IRS enforcement action over unpaid payroll taxes, she told executives she had used tax funds to cover employee wages, a claim the indictment says was a lie meant to cover her tracks.
The stolen money was quickly siphoned out. Meza allegedly made $292,137 in cash withdrawals at bank branches and withdrew over $1 million from ATMs across the United States and Mexico. She also wired $870,209 to bank accounts in Mexico tied to a family member and transferred another $250,000 to friends and relatives.
Meza is further accused of tax fraud, having filed returns for 2017 through 2019 that failed to report any of the embezzled funds as income. The indictment charges her with eight counts of wire fraud — each carrying up to 20 years in prison — four counts of money laundering with a maximum of 10 years each, and three counts of subscribing to a false tax return, each punishable by up to three years.
Meza, arrested earlier this month on a criminal complaint, is scheduled for arraignment on November 29 in United States District Court. The case is being investigated by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation, with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Adams prosecuting. An indictment is not a conviction — Meza is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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