Ex-Santander Employee Pleads Guilty to $125000 Theft From Dementia Patient

A former Santander Bank employee pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence, Rhode Island, on May 6, 2026, to stealing more than $125,000 from the account of a 78-year-old customer with dementia. The admission came in a filing by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Rhode Island.

The theft involved a single account. The customer was 78 years old and carried a dementia diagnosis that prevented independent oversight of banking activity. The admitted loss totaled more than $125,000 withdrawn from that account. Santander Bank employed the defendant in a role that permitted direct access to customer funds and transaction records.

The guilty plea ends the adjudication of guilt. The case now proceeds to a sentencing hearing at which the court will calculate the final restitution figure and apply federal sentencing guidelines for theft offenses. Those guidelines take into account the dollar amount stolen and the victim's vulnerability.

Restitution will require the defendant to repay the full amount taken. Federal courts treat such orders as enforceable judgments that can be collected through wage garnishment or asset seizure. The defendant faces a possible term of imprisonment; guidelines for thefts exceeding $100,000 commonly produce recommended ranges of one to three years depending on criminal history.

A felony conviction of this type also triggers automatic review of the defendant's eligibility to hold positions involving access to customer funds at insured depository institutions.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Rhode Island continues to bring cases involving unauthorized withdrawals from accounts of customers who lack capacity to monitor them. The Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act supplies sentencing enhancements when victims are elderly and cognitively impaired.

Banks remain subject to examination by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on controls that limit employee access to high-risk accounts.