SALINAS – Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on Monday that two women from Arizona have been arrested in connection with a $3 million embezzlement scheme from Taylor Farms.
Karen Rodriguez, 38, and Elizabeth Vargas, 34, were charged with embezzling more than $3 million from Taylor Farms while being employed in the Human Resources department of Automated Harvesting, LLC – a subsidiary of Taylor Farms – between 2019 and 2023.
The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office reported that during that time, Rodriguez and Vargas issued and cashed hundreds of fraudulent checks that were made out to former employees who had returned to Mexico and were no longer working for the company.
Vargas was charged with 15 counts of grand theft by embezzlement, and Rodriguez was charged with 14 counts of grand theft by embezzlement.
The Salinas Police Department started their investigation in 2023, when Taylor Farms first discovered the theft, and the District Attorney’s Office continued the investigation. Investigators obtained arrest warrants on Oct. 11 this year.
On Oct. 16, Rodriguez was arrested by the San Luis Police Department at the Luis Port of Entry in Yuma, Arizona. On Oct. 17, Vargas was arrested by the San Luis Police Department during a traffic stop in Somerton, Arizona.
The District Attorney’s Office will seek extradition to Monterey County. Bail is set at $200,000 each.