Florida men indicted in Lake Co. retirement account thefts

Two Florida men were indicted Wednesday for stealing money from retirement accounts managed by a Lincolnshire company.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Mary Stanton said Joshua Mendez, 32, and Javier Muniz, 26, each face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Stanton said the men were contract employees of Hewitt and Associates and worked as customer service representatives.

She said the two men, operating independently of each other, both stole 401(k) account numbers from Hewitt clients and transferred money from the accounts into their own bank accounts.

Stanton said Mendez, of Sandford, took the account number of a 59-year-old woman in Huntington Woods, Mich., in December 2009.

Between Dec. 14 and Jan. 11, Mendez transferred $85,000 from the woman's account into his own, Stanton said.

Muniz, of Orlando, took $45,000 from the account of a 67-year-old Miami woman between Dec. 4 and March 24, Stanton said.

Both men were caught when Lincolnshire police traced the transfers to the computers the men used for their work with Hewitt.

Both were arrested April 22 and charged with identity theft and money laundering.

Mendez was released from custody after posting $10,000 for bond and Muniz posted $12,500 for bond.

Both are scheduled to be arraigned July 23 before Associate Judge Christopher Stride.