The person in charge of finances allegedly stole $1.5 million from the Wright brothers.

Two-time world surfing champion Tyler Wright and his brothers Owen Wright and Mikey Wright decided to put their finances in the hands of accountant Shane Maree Hatton, a family friend who had previously worked for the athletes' parents in the plumbing business.

Everything seemed normal, until last October, when Nic Fordham, Tyler's agent, found some irregularities in the accounting, notified the athletes and alerted the authorities, for the investigation, where differences were found in almost 800 transactions, generating losses of 1.5 million dollars for the surfer brothers.

This week, police proceeded with the arrest and search of Hatton's house on the south coast of New South Wales (Australia), and a more detailed investigation will be carried out on electronic devices.

"There's a tendency for unqualified friends and relatives to manage large sums of money and be unable to resist the temptation to keep some of it for themselves. What these families need to do is entrust their careers to reputable firms, with contracts and legal advice, and also take an interest in knowing what's happening with the money they have in the bank," said Darren Bennett, head of the research unit.

It is believed that Shane Maree Hatton used the brothers' money for poker bets and therefore the scam cannot be recovered.

The accountant was released on bail, however, she will have to face a trial on the case on April 26.

Written by: Enrique Hernández

General Management: Marco Montero