Bookkeeper accused of Ponzi scheme to steal from Tri-City renters
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- Investigators say Guerrero deposited at least $37,000 into her personal account.
- Prosecutors allege Guerrero ran a Ponzi-style scheme from 2020 to 2024.
- Victims reported losses after they prepaid rents or deposits
A Kennewick apartment bookkeeper allegedly carried out a yearslong Ponzi scheme by promising discounts and reservations.
During her four years working for the Park Ridge Apartments, Mersed G. Guerrero, 38, allegedly funneled thousands of dollars in rent payments into her own account.
While investigators allegedly confirmed the financial loss is in the tens of thousands, but Deputy Prosecutor Tyler Grandgeorge said in court documents the financial impact is “likely substantially higher.”
“She deprived her employer of substantial funds, denied people homes they believed they had legitimately paid for and undermined the financial stability and security of the entire residential complex,” Grandgeorge wrote.
Guerrero pleaded innocent Wednesday to charges first-degree theft and five counts of second-degree theft. She was released on her own recognizance.
Prosecutors recently charged her for the scheme that allegedly took place between 2020 and 2024.
Ponzi scheme
The owner began to uncover the scheme in May 2024 when she learned about disputes over rent payments, court documents said. She discovered extensive differences between the bank accounts and other information and the “official” bookkeeping records, court documents said.
As detectives looked into the documents, they discovered “an extensive yearslong fraud scheme,” court documents said. It was similar to a standard Ponzi scheme, which uses later payments to cover for earlier payments.
She allegedly routinely offered “special” discounts on rent if they pre-paid it to her directly, or she took deposits to reserve apartments, court documents said. The apartment’s owner never authorized those deals.
Guerrero then would take other payments so she could pay back the money she had previously taken. She carried out the scheme for the entire time she worked for the complex.
Stolen rent
Officers contacted several people who appeared to have been defrauded.
They spent between $2,000 to $3,000 mostly in 2024, generally to reserve an apartment or as a rent payment.
Police were able to track the money of one of the victims through Guerrero’s system her system of shuffling payments. The renter paid $1,000 as a down payment for an apartment, which Guerrero used to cover a discounted rent payment she had given a different apartment.
They also discovered that Guerrero had deposited nearly $37,000 in rent payments into her own account. It’s not clear whether she also used that money to cover funds she previously took.
Investigators found Guerrero often would have a substantial amount of money in her account, including the $6,000 to $7,000 in wages that she and her husband received. By the end of the month, nearly all of the money would be spent.
As an example, prosecutors pointed to January 2024 where she had $24,000 come into her account, and she spent more than $23,000.
While she had payments to Mid-Columbia wine, Apple.com and the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, a good deal of the money was allegedly spent to conceal the earlier fraud.
This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM.