(Le Floridien) — Louise Felicia Pierre, a 40-year-old Haitian nurse from Port Saint Lucie, was once a trusted employee at Margate Medical & Rehab, a well-regarded medical facility in South Florida. Her role seemed straightforward: deposit patient checks from various insurers into the company’s bank account. But as the saying goes, appearances can be deceiving. For nearly two years, Pierre allegedly siphoned off over $330,000, funneling the money into her personal accounts through a web of deception.
The story begins in September 2022, when Pierre, who had gained the trust of her employer, began depositing business checks into two accounts associated with a separate company she controlled, “Notary Connection and Services LLC.” As the sole signer on these accounts, Pierre allegedly used them as a vehicle to divert funds meant for Margate Medical & Rehab into her pockets.
To avoid detection, Pierre reportedly employed a cunning tactic: she claimed that the business’s endorsement stamp had gone missing in July 2022. This ruse allowed her to continue using the original stamp to deposit checks into her accounts, all while logging them as if they had been deposited into the company’s bank account. The careful manipulation of records ensured that everything appeared in order, allowing the scheme to continue unnoticed for an extended period.
But as with all such schemes, the truth eventually came to light. Discrepancies in financial records caught the attention of the business owner, who quickly realized that something was amiss. By the time law enforcement was involved, Pierre had allegedly embezzled 207 checks amounting to $330,805.66. The investigation revealed that Pierre had adjusted the amounts she stole based on the business’s monthly income, likely in an effort to avoid raising suspicion.
On August 13, Pierre’s double life came to a crashing halt. She was arrested and now faces grand theft charges, with her bond set at $155,000.
