Louisiana Woman Arrested For Refusing To Return $1.2 Million Mistakenly Deposited Into Her Account
A Black woman who worked as a 911 dispatcher in Louisiana was arrested on Wednesday (April 7) for allegedly refusing to return more than $1.2 million that Charles Schwab & Co. had mistakenly deposited into her brokerage account.
According to NOLA.com, authorities say 33-year-old Kelyn Spadoni, of Harvey, was fired from her dispatcher position after being booked with theft valued over $25,000, bank fraud and illegal transmission of monetary funds.
Spadoni is accused of immediately transferring the money into another account and using some of the cash to buy a new car and house, Capt. Jason Rivarde, a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, said.
Rivarde says the money was put into her account accidentally and she has “no legal claim” to it, labeling it an “accounting error.”
NOLA.com also reports Spadoni is being sued in federal court by Charles Schwab & Co. They’re accusing Spadoni of dodging their calls, text messages and emailed attempts to recover the funds.
The financial company argues in its lawsuit that Spadoni's account contract with Schwab includes an agreement that if a client receives an overpayment of funds, they are required to return the amount in full.
"If someone accidentally puts an extra zero on a utility payment, they would want that money returned or credited to them. This is no different," Rivarde said.