LOUISIANA – A woman who worked for more than four years as a sheriff’s dispatcher in Louisiana was fired and arrested after authorities say she refused to return more than $1.2 million that was accidentally deposited into her account.
According to a report Thursday from nola.com, 33-year-old Kelyn Spadoni of Harvey, Louisiana, was arrested Wednesday and charged with theft valued over $25,000, bank fraud, and illegal transmission of monetary funds after she repeatedly evaded requests to return funds inadvertently transferred to her in February.
According to the report, upon receiving the funds, Spadoni immediately transferred them to another account and used the money to purchase a house and a 2021 Hyundai Genesis valued somewhere between $48,000 and $70,000.
Charles Schwab & Co. filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Spadoni, who worked as a 911 dispatcher because they say she ignored their attempts to reach her by call, text messages, and emails. On one occasion, the company said it contacted her workplace but was told she was unable to come to the phone, according to the report.
She opened her account with Schwab in January, the lawsuit said.
According to the lawsuit, filed in US District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana, Schwab intended to transfer $82.56 into Spadoni’s account when it accidentally transferred more than $1.2 million due to an “issue created by a software enhancement.” In the lawsuit, the company said its terms of service require customers to return any money inadvertently transferred to them.
The lawsuit says the company immediately attempted without success to get the money returned to them. When it attempted to get the money back the following day, they were told the funds were no longer in the account because Spadoni had moved them to another account.
Capt. Jason Rivarde, a spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office told nola.com that Spadoni received funds, transferred mistakenly by Charles Schwab & Co., due to an “accounting error.”
“It’s not her money,” Rivarde told the outlet, adding “she has no legal claim” to it.
He said authorities have so far been able to retrieve about 75% of the funds.
