A former office manager at a Ferrari dealership in San Antonio is accused of stealing money from the luxury car merchant to pay her electric and insurance bills, shop at Walmart, and cover gasoline and other expenses, court records show.
The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested Stephanie Nichole Tellez, 42, Monday on four felony counts related to the alleged fraud, which totaled more than $45,600.
She is charged with credit or debit card abuse, theft of property worth $30,000 to $150,000, fraudulent use or possession of more than five items of identifying information and misappropriation of fiduciary or financial property worth $30,000 to $150,000.
According to an arrest affidavit, Tellez is accused of stealing funds from Ferrari of San Antonio at 19302 W. Interstate 10 Frontage Road on the far North Side. She joined the dealership as office manager in March 2024, according to her LinkedIn page.
Tellez’s duties included issuing company credit cards and fuel cards and using the company checking account for business and accounting purposes, the affidavit says. She was the only employee in accounting, and the dealership’s accounting office was accessible only through a fingerprint scan.
On June 12, the dealership’s general manager called police to report that he suspected Tellez of making unauthorized transactions. When the manager confronted Tellez about the suspicious charges, she “abruptly left” the company, the affidavit says.
One company card was unaccounted for when Tellez quit.
Investigators tied the card to transactions at Walmart, which provided surveillance footage that showed Tellez paying for items with a cell phone at a self-checkout kiosk, according to the affidavit. She had installed the company card in her Walmart Shopping app, investigators learned.
Ferrari accountants who examined a company checking account found a series of unauthorized charges from CPS Energy, Progressive Insurance and a cell service provider. In response to subpoenas, CPS Energy and the cell service provider, which was not identified in the affidavit, listed Tellez as the account holder.
Several of the CPS Energy charges were cancelled after Tellez left her job, according to the affidavit.
Investigators also looked into an unauthorized gas card opened in the company’s name. Tellez was seen on surveillance footage pumping gas and paying for items using the unauthorized card on June 24, nearly two weeks after she left Ferrari, according to the affidavit.
Investigators found unauthorized transactions totaling nearly $27,000 on the company credit card, $1,600 from the checking account and almost $17,000 on the gas card.
Tellez “intentionally and knowingly abused her position in accounting and did not have consent to use the business credit card for unauthorized purchases,” the affidavit says.
She was booked into the Bexar County jail Tuesday and released after posting a $45,000 total bond. She is expected to appear for a pre-indictment hearing on Jan. 28 before Judge Miguel Najera.
Ferrari is one of the world’s premier luxury car maker. Its vehicles are known for elegant design and high performance standards. The Ferrari Luce has a base price of $640,000. The 849 Testarossa, which can go from zero to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds, sells for $540,000 before add-ons.
Even used Ferraris command top dollar. Ferrari of San Antonio currently lists for sale a “Nero red” 2015 Ferrari 488 Spider for $426,915 and a 2026 Roma Spider for $312,000.
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This article originally published at San Antonio Ferrari accounting employee accused of stealing from dealership to pay bills.
