A staff member at banking giant Wells Fargo is accused of stealing from a 90-year-old’s bank account after she passed away.
A former Wells Fargo employee, Brittany Monique McLaughlin, has been indicted in Multnomah County, Oregon, over allegations that she stole more than $26,000 from the account of Bernadette Richardson, following her death in 2023, KGW8 reports.
-->The theft came to light only after Richardson’s brother began sorting through her estate, and his daughter reviewed bank statements tied to the account. That’s when they noticed unfamiliar transactions – car loan payments, insurance bills, utilities, PayPal transfers, and cash withdrawals – all made by someone named Brittany McLaughlin.
Prosecutors say McLaughlin used Richardson’s personal information to carry out over a dozen fraudulent transactions spanning several months.
Wells Fargo ultimately reimbursed approximately $13,000 – only about half of the pilfered funds – and had not flagged the activity as suspicious at the time it occurred.
In a statement, the bank said that McLaughlin has not worked at Wells Fargo since 2022, affirmed its cooperation with law enforcement, and said they are reviewing the family’s concerns.
McLaughlin faces 20 counts, including aggravated theft, aggravated identity theft, and first-degree theft, according to the indictment. She also has an outstanding arrest warrant issued in another state.
