Miami Lakes bank teller accused of stealing customers’ money orders, $18K cash

MIAMI LAKES, Fla. — A 36-year-old man stole thousands of dollars through altered money orders and taking cash from a Miami Lakes bank where he worked as a teller, according to arrest reports obtained by Local 10 News on Tuesday.

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Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies said Jonathan Escobar was arrested Monday in connection with two cases stemming from reported thefts at the First Horizon bank branch at 5901 Miami Lakes Drive.

In the first case, deputies said Escobar, who resides in the county’s unincorporated West Little River area, stole four Amscot money orders totaling $4,000 from a victim’s account on Sept. 8. They said he later cashed the money orders and kept the proceeds.

Deputies said the entire transaction was captured on surveillance video.

A second arrest report states that Escobar, who had worked as a teller since June 22, took more than $18,000 through a series of transactions.

Bank personnel conducted an audit of Escobar’s cash drawer on Friday and found a shortage of $7,657.80, according to the report.

Investigators said another audit found that Escobar cashed 11 Western Union money orders for $1,000 each against an account holder’s account, despite the orders having a face value of $10 each.

They said the transactions resulted in an additional $11,000 loss, bringing the bank’s reported total loss to $18,657.80.

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On Monday, Escobar returned to the bank with a folder and was asked to meet with human resources and a bank investigator, according to the report.

Before the interview, investigators discovered six additional money orders with a face value of $10 each, the report states.

During the interview with bank representatives, Escobar admitted to “cashing the altered money orders against unsuspecting victim accounts and removing money from his cash drawer for personal gain,” according to the report. Investigators said he later reported his drawer as balanced so the theft would not be detected.

Jail records show Escobar is facing one count each of third-degree grand theft and organized fraud of $20,000 or less in each case.

As of Tuesday morning, he was being held in a $10,000 bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

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