A Clearwater woman has been arrested for embezzling over $700K from her employer in Palm Harbor.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, a Clearwater woman has been arrested for embezzling more than $700,000 from her employer over a span of six years. Detectives from PCSO’s economic crimes unit allege that Monika Hladik, 41, wrote company checks to herself and subsequently deposited them into her bank account.

The sheriff’s office stated that the investigation began after receiving a complaint from the president of Inspecs USA, an eyewear manufacturing company located in Palm Harbor. The president informed investigators that Hladik, who served as the company’s managerial accountant, had forged his signature on company checks written to herself.

Hladik, who had worked at Inspecs USA for 12 years, was tasked with writing checks and presenting them to the company president for his signature. Authorities clarified that she was never authorized to issue checks to herself or sign them.

PCSO officials discovered that Hladik wrote 232 checks to herself between 2016 and 2022, each for varying amounts that totaled $710,531. She subsequently deposited these checks into her Wells Fargo bank account. Additionally, Hladik is accused of manipulating QuickBooks entries to conceal her illicit activities over several years.

Deputies arrested Hladik on Thursday on one count of scheme to defraud.