A former Plantation bookkeeper has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for orchestrating a multi-year embezzlement scheme that siphoned nearly $9.8 million from her employer, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced on Thursday.
Hava Yfrah Austin, 58, received the sentence on September 15 from Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga, who also ordered forfeiture and restitution. Austin previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud and filing a false income tax return after failing to report the stolen funds on her tax filings.
According to court records, Austin owned and operated Accounting Solutions Today, P.A., a bookkeeping and tax services firm in Broward County, while serving as the long-time bookkeeper for the victim company, where she had signature authority over its bank accounts. From 2018 through April 2024, she executed unauthorized wire transfers from the company’s accounts to her own business, using much of the stolen money to gamble at local casinos and through online gaming platforms.
To hide the theft, Austin falsified accounting entries, creating fraudulent vendor names similar to legitimate ones to avoid detection.
“This defendant betrayed the trust placed in her, stole nearly $10 million, and gambled it away,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones. IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge Emmanuel Gomez added that Austin had even booked a one-way ticket overseas before being caught. “Thanks to our complex financial investigation, the only one-way trip she’s taking is straight to prison,” he said.
The case was investigated by IRS-CI.
