Two former employees of a Taylor Farms subsidiary were arrested for reportedly embezzling more than $3 million from the Salinas-based company.
Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced Friday, Oct. 18 that Karen Rodriguez, 38, and Elizabeth Vargas, 34, were arrested on Oct. 16 and 17, respectively, in Arizona, where they currently live.
From 2019-2023, Rodriguez and Vargas were employed in the Human Resources department of Automated Harvesting, LLC, a Taylor Farms subsidiary, according to a press release. The two women reportedly issued and cashed “hundreds of fraudulent checks” that were made out to former employees now living in Mexico, amounting to more than $3 million.
Taylor Farms discovered the payments in 2023, prompting an investigation by the Salinas Police Department and later the District Attorney’s Office.
An arrest warrant for Vargas and Rodriguez was issued on Oct. 11, leading to their arrests in Arizona less than a week later.
Vargas is charged with 15 counts of grand theft by embezzlement and Rodriguez faces 14 counts of grand theft by embezzlement.
Both are in custody in Arizona with bail set at $200,000 each, according to the District Attorney’s Office, as they await extradition to Monterey County.
A court date in Monterey County has not yet been set, according to records.
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