Bookkeeper in $10M South Florida fraud caught before taking one-way flight to Israel

A bookkeeper accused of defrauding South Florida companies out of $10 million was arrested while attempting to board a one-way flight to Israel, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Hava Yfrah-Austin, 58, of Hallandale Beach, was taken into custody at Miami International Airport on Tuesday as she attempted to board a flight to Tel Aviv using an Israeli passport.

The complaint states that Yfrah-Austin operated a company, Accounting Solutions Today, PA, registered to an address in Plantation, and provided bookkeeping services for two Miami-Dade-based companies from 2001 until her termination in April 2024. She is accused of embezzling $10 million from these companies between 2018 and 2024.

The fraud was discovered after one of the company owners reviewed their accounts and noticed numerous transactions that appeared suspicious. A special agent from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation division confirmed the discovery.

Initially, Yfrah-Austin admitted to embezzling $170,000. However, after further investigation, she confessed to stealing $3 million. Authorities allege that she used fictitious vendor names to transfer funds between the two companies and into her own Accounting Solutions Today account.

In December, eight months after her firing, Yfrah-Austin sold her Florida properties. Authorities learned on Sunday that she had booked a flight to Tel Aviv, and agents confronted her at Miami International Airport on Tuesday. She allegedly admitted to being an Israeli citizen and confirmed that she did not have a return ticket to the U.S.

Yfrah-Austin was transported to Broward County, where she is being held at the North Broward Bureau jail facility in Pompano Beach as of Wednesday morning.

She faces a wire fraud charge in Miami federal court. If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison.

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