LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — A Lehigh Acres woman, Madelyn Hernandez, 49, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for executing a multi-year wire fraud and money laundering scheme that defrauded her employer of more than $4.1 million, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced Monday.
In addition to her prison sentence, Hernandez was ordered to forfeit $4,199,498.42, the total amount she stole during the scheme.
While employed by a textile and apparel supply chain company, Hernandez created fake and defunct vendor accounts and submitted fraudulent invoices via email between 2018 and 2024. Payments for these fictitious purchases were directed to bank accounts she controlled, prosecutors said.
The fraud was uncovered in June 2024, when company executives noticed irregularities in inventory records and business filings. A deeper investigation revealed Hernandez had fabricated delivery receipts and inventory documents to support the fake invoices.
In a bizarre twist, when the company began digging deeper, Hernandez attempted to cover her tracks by falsely announcing her own death, sending a message from a fake relative claiming she had died due to an illness and surgical complications.
Federal agents from the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation Division executed a search warrant at her home in October 2024, where Hernandez confessed to the fraud. She admitted to using the stolen funds for personal expenses and gambling.
Hernandez pleaded guilty on January 28, 2025, to charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
