A Florida woman who misappropriated over $4 million from her job and subsequently 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 textile and apparel supply chain firm that is not identified in court records. 

For 16 years, she was employed remotely by the company before she started sending fake invoices from supposed supply firms, instructing that payments be directed to her bank accounts. 

Pretending It 

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

The fraudulent invoicing operation operated from 2018 until 2024. Fraudulent vendors comprised a front company called Cape Prints, established by Hernandez in August 2019. 

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

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

Under investigation, Hernandez contacted her employer while pretending to be a family member, asserting 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 execution of a search warrant at Hernandez’s home in October 2024, where she was surprisingly discovered alive and well. 

While being interrogated, she confessed to pretending to die and stealing money from her job. She stated that she "did not believe what she took amounted to $4 million," according to court filings. 

On January 28 this year, Hernandez admitted guilt and was mandated to give up the $4 million as part of her punishment.