Bookkeeper found guilty of burning down auto business in Kearny Mesa

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- A 46-year-old bookkeeper for a company headquartered in Kearny Mesa was convicted Monday by a federal jury for intentionally setting fire to the business to cover up the disappearance of more than $700,000, prosecutors said.

Carey Alice Hernandez, who was in charge of finances at Off Road Warehouse, was found guilty of malicious destruction of a building by means of fire, witness tampering and making false statements, the Office of the United States Attorney Southern District of California said in a news release.

Off Road Warehouse, located at 7915 Balboa Avenue, sold and installed automotive parts and gear for off-roading. In late 2018, the owner of the business, also known as ORW, sold the business, according to prosecutors.

When an audit was conducted by the purchaser, it revealed that $744,621 went missing between January 2015 and March 2019 during Hernandez's tenure as bookkeeper, officials said.

The fire, which caused Off Road Warehouse to burn to the ground, happened in the early morning hours of March 28, 2019.

Surveillance video presented at the trial showed an SUV with dark wheel rims driving near Hernandez's house in Point Loma, according to prosecutors. The video also showed her driving the same vehicle to the scene of the arson, as well as driving back home after the fire.

"The day after the fire, Hernandez sent misleading texts to ORW employees in an attempt to convince them her wheel rims were light, not dark," said the Office of the United States Attorney Southern District of California. "Specifically, after learning that law enforcement was searching for a dark- rimmed SUV, she tried to convince employees who had changed her vehicle’s distinctive rims before the fire that her vehicle had light rims during the time of the fire and thus, the SUV spotted on surveillance cameras could not be hers."

The investigation revealed that Hernandez lied about the rims on her SUV as the surveillance video showed her driving around San Diego in her dark rims, not light rims, prosecutors said.

“While it is extremely fortunate that no one was physically hurt in this blaze, it was a devastating loss for the company,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This defendant used arson, tampering with witnesses, and deceit to put the community in danger, but the jury held her accountable.”

Hernandez is set to be sentenced on July 12 at 9:30 a.m.