Wellness influencer Bobbi Vargas has been charged with allegedly stealing more than $2.3 million from entrepreneurs Grant and Elena Cardone, as well as trying to use prop money to pay off a loan from a third victim.
A Las Vegas Metro police report obtained by KLAS alleged that Vargas (real name Bobbi Awad) used four credit cards belonging to the Cardones from April 2021 to February 2024 to obtain nearly $2 million by “co-mingling legal and illegal funds.” Vargas faces 19 felony charges in total, including six counts of theft exceeding $100,000, four counts of attempted money laundering and one count of obtaining a credit or debit card without the owner’s consent. If convicted, she could face more than 20 years in prison.
Metro Police say they issued the arrest warrant after identifying 7,400 fraudulent Amazon purchases, totaling $450,000 across five credit cards belonging to the Cardone family. Vargas has been accused of buying luxury items such as a brick pizza oven and an 83-inch television.
Investigators say they were tipped off by Elena when she allegedly discovered her money was used without permission to buy ten Amazon gift cards for her then-friend Vargas. Vargas is also accused of spending $169,000 from a PayPal account on luxury merchandise, as well as paying both her business and employees almost $800,000 using the Cardones’ money.
A third victim in the case — who has not been identified by name — acknowledged lending Vargas $100,000. The victim claims when the wellness influencer later paid them back with cash in a shoebox, they suspected Vargas was using fake currency. Las Vegas police said detectives “contacted propmoney.com and learned Awad (Vargas) purchased a total of $103,0000 in various denominations,” which was allegedly delivered three days before Vargas paid the third victim.
“This pattern of financial transactions showed Awad (Vargas) used a front company (Bodela LLC) to launder the proceeds of this theft,” the Las Vegas Metro Police wrote in their report.
Vargas appeared in a Las Vegas Justice Court for the first time on Wednesday, May 14, after an arrest warrant was issued. Judge Eric Goodman allowed Vargas to leave the hearing on her own recognizance without posting bail but warned “the first problem I have with you will be the last problem I have with you.”
“I’ll put you into custody. I’ll keep you in custody,” the judge vowed.
Vargas’ attorney Michael Christalli insisted that Vargas lived with the Cardone family and had permission to use their credit card. Christalli also argued that Vargas deserved bail leniency because she had no criminal record — plus she had been diagnosed with cancer and was the primary caregiver for an autistic son.
Us Weekly has reached out to representatives for both Vargas and the Cardone family for more information.
Vargas amassed more than 200,000 Instagram followers as a public speaker and wellness coach. She is the founder of wellness product range Bodela, which she describes as a “biohacker for high performers.”
She most recently posted via Instagram on Sunday, May 11, to offer an empowering Mother’s Day message to parents of autistic children.
Alongside a video of her cradling her son, Vargas wrote, “Happy Mother’s Day to every beautiful mother today, this weekend, and every day beyond. To the incredible autism mamas: You are seen on the days your child looks everywhere but at you. You are heard in the quiet moments when your voice echoes without reply. And you are loved, even when their sensory world won’t allow for a hug; the love is there, deep and real, just expressed in different ways.”
“This journey may not look how we once imagined, but our love is louder than words, stronger than meltdowns, and more enduring than any challenge,” she went on. “One day, I believe, we’ll feel the connection we so deeply crave. Until then, we keep showing up with hearts full of hope and hands ready to advocate because our children are nothing short of extraordinary. And they will always know love because they have us.”
