Crooks in the Coop - $1.4 Million Stolen from MH Group

Companies face significant risks from insider fraud, particularly when employees conspire to exploit their access for personal gain. A notable case occurred between 2017 and 2019 at MH Group, a trucking company in Eagle Pass, Texas, where two former employees, Dina Maldonado Morales and Laura Ballesteros Haby, embezzled $1.4 million.

Morales, a dispatcher and operations supervisor, and Haby, a payroll and accounts receivable manager, orchestrated a sophisticated scheme. Morales convinced a company IT employee to create a covert email address to facilitate their fraud. Using this email, they submitted fraudulent invoices to customers, directing payments to Morales’ personal bank account. To cover their tracks, Morales accessed the company database and deleted records of legitimate shipments and payments.

Their scheme unraveled and resulted in convictions for money laundering and wire fraud, with Morales receiving a six years and Haby receiving five years in federal prison.