A Florida woman was charged with money laundering after she was overpaid by her employer. The woman failed to report the overpayment that took place, resulting in dire consequences. She was reportedly overpaid $400,000 over the span of the year.
Yessica Arrua was arrested for spending $400,000 that was never meant for her to spend. The 29-year-old worked at the Palm Beach Equine Clinic as a receptionist. The Daily Mail reveals that the woman was signed on with a yearly salary of $60,000.
Employee accused of pocketing over $200k in Palm Beach Equine Clinic payroll mishap https://t.co/62Fm3P0c6i
— Travelaviator (@Travelaviator) July 2, 2025
The error in payment was noticed at the beginning of 2023. The Clinic noticed the overpayment and reached out to Harbor America, the company’s payroll provider. Yessica was taken into custody on June 27 of the same year.
The receptionist confessed to being aware of the overpayment. She told the authorities that she thought the access money she was being paid was a “bonus.” The 29-year-old claimed that she had “heard rumors before that the previous receptionist had received one for saving the practice money on supplies.”
By the time she was arrested, Arrua had spent more than half of the $400,000. She spent huge amounts of the money on shopping and even transferred it to her family in Argentina.
Yessica Arrua Arrested for Allegedly Stealing $400K in Vet Salary Mix-Up at Florida Horse Clinic#YessicaArrua #FloridaNews #PayrollFraud #PalmBeachClinic #ReceptionistArrested #MoneyLaunderingCase #FloridaCrimeNews #WellingtonFL #EquineClinicFraud https://t.co/MqfrB7lUzf
— Latest News Official (@latestnews_off) July 5, 2025
Reports suggest that the 29-year-old spent a significant amount of money at Coach and Michael Kors. She also spent money at furniture stores and restaurants. A report also revealed that she had been sending money to someone called “Mama Dukes.”
Yessica blew $80,000 on buying a food truck for her mother’s friend. She later confessed to sending money to family in Argentina. The money went towards building a house there.
Arrua was employed by the PBEC for almost a decade. She had been working at the establishment for 9 years when she was arrested. Reportedly, she was acquainted with the President of PBEC, who had known her since she was 9 years old. The President was the one who reported Arrua to the authorities.
The veterinarian failed to “monitor her checking account and deposits for the past year,” which led to her not getting paid at all. The veterinarian had a salary of $450,000 yearly. The realization came when her credit cards started declining.
When the veterinarian pieced it together and confronted Yessica, she “broke down crying.” She also confessed to the “criminal action.” Only $200,000 of the $414,000 was unspent.
Arrua admitted that she would be unable to return the rest of the money, including the $100,000 that her mother sent to Argentina. Yesscia Arrua is currently being held at Palm Beach’s Main Detention Center. She had been charged with grand theft and money laundering.
