A South Florida bookkeeper, Hava Yfrah-Austin, 58, was arrested for allegedly committing wire fraud involving more than $10 million. According to federal authorities, she was apprehended yesterday, at Miami International Airport while attempting to leave for Tel Aviv on a one-way ticket.
As reported by Local 10, Yfrah-Austin operated Accounting Solutions Today, PA in Plantation, Florida, and provided bookkeeping services for two companies in Miami-Dade since 2001. The fraudulent activities, which reportedly took place from 2018 to April 2024, were discovered when a company owner noticed suspicious transactions.
She initially confessed to stealing $170,000 but later admitted to diverting $3 million after further fraudulent activity was uncovered. Yfrah-Austin is accused of creating fake vendor names to move funds between the companies and into her own business account.
Authorities found that she liquidated her Florida real estate holdings in December 2024. After being tipped off about her flight to Israel, federal agents intercepted her at the airport. At the scene, she "admitted, among other things, that she was an Israeli citizen and that she did not have a return ticket to the U.S.," according to Local 10.
As of this morning, Yfrah-Austin is being held at the North Broward Bureau jail in Pompano Beach without bail. According to Broward County Mugshots, she faces charges of wire fraud. She could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
