White Collar Crimes: Georgia man charged with bank fraud

White Collar Crimes: In some cases, bank employees can make mistakes on a customer’s account. Some of these mistakes are minor and easily corrected while others can prove costly. A bank employee reportedly made an error by depositing $31,000 into a customer’s account. Now, a Georgia man has been arrested for bank fraud.

According to reports, a bank teller accidentally deposited $31,000 into a man’s account. This may have been a case of mistaken identity since the funds that were deposited were for another bank customer with the same name. However, the man did not make the bank aware of this and allegedly withdrew almost $25,000 in multiple ATM withdrawals. He made a series of purchases, including fast food restaurant and grocery charges thus escalating the case and being charged with a number of white collar crimes. For more discussion on this, see this entry.

He also reportedly made a purchase at a car dealership. The bank eventually discovered the mistake and made contact with the man for payment arrangements. However, when he was unable to repay the bank, he was arrested. His bond amount, if any, is dependent upon his upcoming bond hearing.

Suspects who are charged with bank fraud have a multitude of consequences ahead of them if convicted. Georgia prosecutors tend to seek conviction on these types of matters to the fullest extent. In this case, the state will need to meet a strict burden of proof that the suspect knew of the mistake and intentionally stole from the bank. In addition, the suspect has the right to challenge any evidence used against him, so a strong defense could be especially beneficial for the accused.

Source: 13wmaz.com, “Teen arrested after spending mistakenly deposited money“, , March 26, 2014