Three Southern Truss Companies employees were arrested July 16 following an alleged multi-million dollar fraud scheme against the business, according to sheriff’s officials and court records.
Detectives found that over a seven-year period, Laura Beth Grasso, 43, of Fort Pierce, allegedly used her position as a bookkeeper and comptroller for the business to facilitate a scheme resulting in the loss of nearly $7 million, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook.
Southern Truss Companies, which has an address in the 2500 block of North Kings Highway, was founded in 1982, according to its website. A woman who answered the phone there July 17 declined comment.
Detectives believe Grasso bypassed accounts payable procedures to initiate millions of dollars in unauthorized manual wire transfers from the business’s bank accounts to unintended third parties, according to the sheriff’s office.
As the investigation continued, evidence showed that Grasso gave Tina Marie Mejia, 55, of Port St. Lucie, and Sheri Lynn Harrs, 38, of Fort Pierce, additional payments and covered personal expenses as a way to ensure their silence on the alleged fraudulent activity.
The money obtained through the alleged scheme was used for personal expenses, including luxury vehicle purchases, personal utility bills, lavish vacations, fine jewelry, and designer accessories, according to the post.
Civil case brought by Southern Truss Companies
Court records related to the arrest were not immediately available July 17, but a 2025 civil case brought against the three by Southern Truss contains some details about alleged improprieties.
The 11-page civil filing identified Grasso as the controller who managed the business accounting operations; Mejia was the bookkeeper; and Harrs was a receptionist/assistant.
All were fired after Southern Truss in summer 2025 reportedly learned of their alleged “wrongdoings.”
“At some point during their employment by (Southern Truss), Grasso, Mejia, and Harrs agreed to embark on a scheme whereby they were able to convert and misappropriate considerable funds from (Southern Truss), misuse (Southern Truss’s) credit cards and bank accounts to pay personal expenses and bills, and defraud and embezzle large sums of money from (Southern Truss),” the civil suit states.
The suit alleges Grasso bought more than $1 million in jewelry and luxury goods, and alleged she embezzled more than $4 million.
Charges against the three women
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 3 Florida women accused of taking $7 million from local business
Reporting by Olivia Franklin and Will Greenlee, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Olivia Franklin and Will Greenlee, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
