Crime & Public Safety
Delray Beach property manager arrested after alleged $100K-plus rent diversion at Lucaya apartments
Delray Beach police arrested a local property manager after investigators say she diverted more than $100,000 in tenant payments at the Lucaya apartment community in Delray Beach.
According to the Delray Beach Police Department, 44-year-old Jessyka May Hernandez Ortega was taken into custody following a multi-year probe into missing rent funds at the complex on Ilene Court. The alleged scheme began to unravel in May 2025 when the community owner audited tenant leases and found discrepancies between physical paperwork and entries in the leasing software, Yardi. Hernandez Ortega abruptly resigned and stopped reporting to work when the audit began.
Investigators allege a complex fraud: tenants’ money orders were reportedly deposited into Hernandez Ortega’s personal bank accounts at Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Chase; Yardi ledger entries were altered and payments shifted between accounts; and funds collected for independent unit owners were allegedly commingled and used to cover shortfalls. Subpoenaed bank records reportedly showed 764 money orders totaling $284,020 deposited into her personal accounts between December 2022 and May 2025, and detectives directly verified $102,827 in stolen tenant payments.
Delray Beach Police also allege the manager exploited non-English-speaking residents who needed help with paperwork, including accepting blank money orders and charging for services that were not provided. Police booked Hernandez Ortega into Palm Beach County Jail on charges of Organized Scheme to Defraud over $50,000 and Grand Theft over $100,000. The agency’s allegations remain part of an active investigation; no convictions are documented in the records provided here.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.