Former Mesa accountant with high-profile client list accused of fraud, theft

• A former Mesa accountant was arrested Tuesday on theft and fraud charges
• Tiffany White, 44, was accused by a grand jury of pilfering the bank accounts of high-profile clients, including doctors and lawyers who hired her
• White owns a $1.5 million, 6,000-square-foot home in an exclusive gated subdivision
• Two days after The Arizona Republic documented allegations against her in November, White petitioned the court for a name change

A former Mesa accountant with a high-profile client list and an even higher-profile lifestyle was arrested this week on suspicion of fraud and theft.

Tiffany White, 44, is accused of billing doctors, lawyers and other professionals for unnecessary services, then pilfering their bank accounts while living in a $1.5 million, 6,000-square-foot home in an exclusive gated community.

White was released on $2,500 cash bond Tuesday during an initial appearance in Maricopa County Superior Court. She was represented by a public defender after the court found her to be "indigent."

White could not be reached for comment.

The Arizona Republic detailed allegations against White in a Nov. 21 report. Two days later, on Nov. 23, White filed a petition with the court to change her name.

"Coincidence, I think not," Phoenix lawyer Thomas Asimou wrote in a hand-delivered letter to the court on Jan. 3.

Asimou is listed in court documents as being among several of White's victims. He said he wanted to alert the court to the news story and to an ongoing police investigation into White's activities. Court records show a judge delayed granting the name change. A new hearing is scheduled for Monday.

Putting the blame on clients

A grand jury in December accused White of targeting 14 of her former clients. An indictment accused her of stealing, or attempting to steal, anywhere from $4,000 to $25,000 from them.

But White has repeatedly blamed her clients for problems. She used social media to lash out at clients who complained about her practices on consumer websites, often outing them by name, calling them "complainers" and accusing them of reneging on agreements.

In a series of posts on Yelp in October, a person posting as White said all of her clients signed engagement letters, which served as contracts and authorized her billing practices.

"All billing policies are clearly reflected on my website and have been posted for 2 years," wrote "Tiffany W.," posting as "business owner" on Oct. 25. "Any random person, potential client or current client has access to billing policies at all times. It is a shame they dispute their signed contracts and ignore publicly accessible information about my firm."

White also pointed the finger at her predecessor and business partner, saying she "went AWOL with approximately $375,000." Records show her former partner maintains a license in good standing and has not been disciplined by the state board.

White's arrest comes about five months after state regulators stripped her of her certified public accounting license. An investigation found she "committed dishonesty, fraud or gross or continuing negligence ... on numerous occasions by making unauthorized withdrawals from client bank accounts."

The Arizona State Board of Accountancy reported receiving seven complaints against White between May 2015 and January 2016.

READ: Arizona State Board of Accountancy's findings

State regulators said White refused to cooperate in their investigation and stopped responding to inquiries after they contacted her about the first two complaints. Records show she failed to appear at a public hearing in July and offered no defense.

A state investigator said before White cut off communication, she acknowledged "that she accessed clients' bank accounts and credit cards to pay her fees." The investigator said White "also acknowledged that she did not inform (her client) before she took funds from his checking account."

The board found White continued serving as an accountant even after her license was suspended. It said she wrongly withheld original client records in order to force payment and disclosed confidential client information in online posts.

Clients said White billed them as much as four times what they had paid in years past for the same services without talking to them first.

They said when they balked at the increased fees, White threatened to sue them, refused to return personal and business records and then used their information to electronically withdraw money from their accounts, according to state board records and interviews.

Substantial, unexplained fee increases 

Asimou said White withdrew several thousand dollars from his account without authorization after she hit him with a bill for about $12,000 in 2015, four times more than what he previously paid.

He said White used an Automated Clearing House transfer to move money from his bank into her Illinois account. Asimou said ACH, a network for processing electronic payments, was supposed to be used to deduct payroll taxes from his accounts.

Asimou said White withdrew funds after he complained to state regulators that she was attempting to charge exorbitant, undisclosed fees. He said when he challenged White, she accused him of stealing from her.

Scottsdale physician Charles Crinnian said White billed him 240 percent more than he had previously paid. His bill went from about $900 to $2,042. In a 2014 letter to the state board, he accused her of billing him for services she did not perform.

Crinnian said White billed him for handling loan statements when he didn't have any loans, creating depreciation schedules for fixed assets that didn't exist, reconciling bank statements for accounts she didn't have access to and researching tax laws for situations that did not apply to his case.

He said White never spoke with him about the disputed amount but accused him in emails of trying to dodge his contractual obligation. When he didn't capitulate, White went after his bank account, he said.

The board said another of White's clients complained she emptied a bank account without authorization and created a significant overdraft. The client told board members that White withdrew $6,322.46 from a personal account and $3,250 from a business bank account.

The client said White made repeated withdrawals several months after she was terminated.

Records show White purchased a $1.5 million home in the Mesa Groves subdivision near Val Vista Drive and McKellips Road in 2014. She purchased the property through a limited-liability company called Lemon Lane, which she organized, and is the sole member.

The home has six bedrooms, five bathrooms, high-end appliances and a theater room, according to online listings. It also has a six-car garage, spa, pool with a swim-up bar and an outdoor barbecue.

A warrant filed in Superior Court shows White was arrested at a modest home on North Portland in Mesa.

However, in her petition for a name change, she used the Mesa Grove address as her residence.