A fake vendor, unexplained payroll and missing inventory are at the center of a criminal case against two former managers of a Florida moving supply company.
Steven Kase, 45, of Parkland, and Karina Juliana Dos Santos, 37, of Coral Springs, worked at Chris Lapi Moving Supplies Inc., where Kase was general manager and Dos Santos was operations manager.
The investigation began after the company’s president and her mother received anonymous letters in May 2025 accusing the managers of funneling money through fictitious vendors and diverting merchandise, according to Parkland Talk.
A forensic audit followed. Broward Sheriff’s Office records cited by the outlet describe several categories of suspected losses and unauthorized spending that together form what investigators characterize as a nearly $2 million fraud investigation.
About $570,000 Went to a Vendor Tied to the Managers
The audit identified approximately $570,000 in wire transfers made between 2022 and June 2025 to Flex Packaging & Printing. Investigators say the vendor used a Coral Springs mailbox registered to Kase and Dos Santos.
The arrest warrant alleges they created the account and represented that payments were connected to a lease for a Kiwi printing machine. Kiwi Coders told investigators there was no lease. The machine had instead been purchased outright in 2021 for approximately $86,748.
Five Truck Trips Led Investigators to $888,471 in Missing Inventory
GPS records showed a company semi-truck making five trips during April and May 2025 from the Pompano Beach facility to an address associated with Safebound Moving & Storage in West Palm Beach.
A driver later gave investigators a sworn statement saying merchandise was transported there at the direction of Kase and Dos Santos. On one trip, authorities say a company forklift valued at about $13,000 was loaded onto the truck despite a policy prohibiting it from leaving the warehouse. A subsequent inventory review found approximately $888,471 in merchandise that could not be accounted for.
Investigators also discovered that Safebound’s physical account file was the only one missing when management began reviewing outstanding bills. When another employee asked Kase to have the company pay what it owed, the affidavit alleges he responded, “Good luck finding the fucking file.”
Company Cards Allegedly Paid for Personal Expenses
The audit also identified payments investigators say Kase and Dos Santos issued to themselves without authorization. Kase allegedly received approximately $142,332 in additional payroll from January 2022 through June 2025. Investigators attributed another $143,483 to Dos Santos during the same period.
Both managers were allowed to use a company American Express card for legitimate business expenses, but investigators say some transactions instead benefited them personally.
The purchases attributed to Kase included a cold-plunge tub, landscaping services for personal residences, Mercedes-Benz maintenance, jewelry, hotels and airfare. Authorities put the disputed transactions associated with him at approximately $137,944 between July 2022 and June 2025. Another approximately $23,992 in personal transactions was attributed to Dos Santos.
Both Surrendered on Aug. 19
A separate allegation involves two company-owned vans sold in December 2023. Investigators say $23,150 from the transaction was wired into a personal checking account, withdrawn and then provided to Kase. According to the affidavit, none of those proceeds was deposited into an account belonging to Chris Lapi Moving Supplies.
Kase and Dos Santos surrendered at the Broward County Main Jail after warrants were issued for their arrests. Both posted $250,000 bonds and were released.
Separate Control Over Vendors, Payments and Inventory Can Make Internal Fraud Harder to Hide
The Government Accountability Office’s internal-control guidance recommends separating incompatible duties and matching vendor invoices against purchase orders, receiving records and other documentation before payment. Payroll, company cards and inventory should be reviewed independently as well.
Periodic reconciliations can compare approved compensation with actual payroll, card transactions with receipts and business purposes, and warehouse records with physical inventory counts.
Businesses should also maintain a way for employees, vendors and others to report concerns without going through the managers they suspect. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners says tips remain the most common way occupational fraud is discovered and that anti-fraud controls are associated with quicker detection and lower losses.
When suspected internal fraud surfaces, companies should preserve accounting records, emails, vendor files, payroll histories, card statements, GPS or access records and surveillance footage before removing system access or making changes that could destroy evidence. A forensic accountant and law enforcement can then evaluate the records without relying solely on information controlled by the employees under suspicion.