TAMPA — A federal grand jury has indicted a Florida certified public accountant and attorney on six counts of wire fraud for allegedly embezzling more than $890,000 from a client over a four-year period, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced.
Melissia Gauthreaux, the founder, president and managing member of Accounting Resources and Management Services, LLC, is accused of using her firm to steal from a public figure who lived in the Middle District of Florida from 2017 through 2021. Gauthreaux had signatory authority on the client’s bank accounts and was able to remove the funds without the client’s knowledge or consent, according to the indictment.
The United States is seeking a forfeiture order of $894,274.26, representing the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct. Each of the six wire fraud counts carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
The case strikes at a basic trust between professionals and their clients — a CPA and attorney granted direct access to bank accounts who allegedly exploited that access for years. The scheme went undetected from 2017 until at least 2021, according to the charging document.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Merrilyn Hoenemeyer is prosecuting.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. A court date for Gauthreaux’s initial appearance has not yet been publicly announced.