ST. GEORGE — A $50 discrepancy in a bank deposit led to an internal audit that revealed an embezzlement scheme resulting in an estimated loss of nearly $100,000 in deposits for a family health care clinic in St. George.
And police say the funds reportedly were taken by one of the company’s veteran managers over the course of several years.
The arrest stems from an investigation that was opened in November 2022 after authorities received a report of possible embezzlement that took place at Family Healthcare on Riverside Drive in St. George. (See editor’s note).
According to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest, the case was sent to the St. George Police Department’s detectives division for follow-up.
While speaking to the company’s chief executive officer, investigators learned an employee, 38-year-old Consuelo Haydee Olivas, a six-year veteran and one of the center’s managers, allegedly had taken $10,000-$30,000 from the company, according to initial estimates.
An internal audit would later reveal the amount of money reportedly taken was significantly higher.
The alleged theft came to light while Olivas was away on a business trip in October 2022, when other employees were tasked with handling the bank deposits in her absence. While making one of the deposits, the report states, the employee noticed it was $50 short, and during an internal investigation, the staff suspected it was Olivas who had taken the money just prior to departing on the business trip.
When confronted by the company, investigators say, the suspect told the supervisor she had taken the money by accident. At the same time, Olivas, who was still out of town on company business, called a co-worker to request an increase in the amount she was allowed to spend on the company credit card.
Authorities also learned from the supervisor that Olivas “should not have been using the company credit card” for her own expenses while away on business. Coupled with the money reportedly missing from the bank deposit, the supervisor began to suspect that Olivas was using the company credit card for her own personal use, in addition to taking money from the company by shorting the deposits.
Olivas returned to the office and was confronted by a supervisor, which is when the suspect reportedly confessed to taking money from the deposits, shortfalls she explained started after the death of her ex-husband, the report states.
During the meeting, the suspect was advised that she was being placed on administrative leave pending the internal investigation that was underway. Shortly thereafter, the suspect reportedly was seen leaving the office “holding bags,” and minutes later the supervisor noticed the door of the safe where the deposits were kept was left open.
Suspecting that Olivas may have left with the bank deposits, the supervisor called Olivas and told her to return the money, which the suspect did shortly thereafter when the supervisor met Olivas at a bank nearby.
Detectives recovered bank information and deposit records that revealed the suspect had altered many of the deposit slips from the various departments inside of the health care company to “hide the money she was taking,” the officer noted.
In all, the internal audit conducted by the company revealed a loss of more than $100,000 in deposits that were reportedly taken by the suspect over the course of several years.
According to the report, internal audit records revealed, for example, that between August and October, nearly $14,000 in deposits never made it to the bank.
Detectives also learned that deposit amounts doubled, and in some cases even tripled, after the suspect was placed on administrative leave.
On Friday, St. George Police Department conducted an interview during which the suspect reportedly told police she took $2,500 from the company on the day she was placed on administrative leave, adding she had returned the money to the company later that same day.
The suspect also said she had taken approximately $3,000 from the bank deposits a few years prior, and said she had paid the money back “without anyone finding out.”
The suspect also told detectives “she had been taking money” from the customer payments and claimed she had paid the money back by adding it to a bank deposit later. She also said she altered the deposit slip to reflect the change in the amount.
Following the interview, the suspect was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and she was booked into jail facing two second-degree felony charges of theft for the money allegedly taken and one count of communications fraud for manipulating the company’s financial documents.
Employee theft — a $50 billion industry
According to an analysis conducted by JW Surety Bonds, employee theft costs businesses more than $50 billion annually in the United States, and nearly two-thirds of all thefts reported in the healthcare industry are perpetrated by a manager. Moreover, the theft continues for roughly two years before it is detected on average, and roughly one-third of all company bankruptcies are the result of employee theft.
Following Friday’s arrest, Olivas was formally charged with second-degree felony theft and forgery, a third-degree felony, while the embezzlement offense was dropped during the review process so it was never filed. The defendant was released from jail the following afternoon and an initial appearance has yet to be scheduled in the case.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
Ed. Note: This story has been updated to include the name of the health care clinic.
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