A Southern California woman who admits stealing $700,000 from her employer using forged checks lost $500,000 of the money in an internet scam that promised her love and a new life.

Instead, Luellen Leyva, 58, of Moorpark is sitting in the Ventura County jail with a $200,000 bond.

Leyva allegedly wrote herself checks last year off her employer’s account over a 20-month period of time and sent them to “David Mark,” a man she met on an internet dating site and planned to marry. Mark, who presented himself as a wealthy foreign national, told her he was detained by immigration authorities while trying to enter the country and needed money to get free.

She wired him half a million dollars in two installments, and continued to communicate with the man’s supposed attorneys even after being fired from work. Apparently, Leyva didn’t realize she had been scammed until detectives told her that she was actually sending money to an organized crime organization in Africa.    

–Ken Broder

To Learn More:

Newbury Park Woman Arrested on Suspicion of Embezzlement (by John Scheibe, Ventura County Star)

Forgery Suspect Scammed on Internet (KTLA News)