NEWS
May 29, 24
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By Asiya Ali
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A woman was apprehended by cops after $1.2 million appeared in her bank account.
When Kelyn Spadoni, a Louisiana dispatcher, discovered the unexpected sum in her brokerage account in February 2021, she didn’t waste time asking questions...in fact, she didn’t ask questions at all.
The 33-year-old couldn't believe her eyes when she opened her bank account and saw that Charles Schwab, a major financial services corporation, deposited a staggering $1.2 million.
However, it was agigantic erroras Schwab was only meant to transfer the dispatcher $82.56, as reported by nola.com.
Charles Schwab accidentally put $1.2m in Spadoni's bank account. Credit: Smith Collection/Gado / Getty
The bank staff tried to stop or reclaim the transfer but were unable to do so. The next day, they sent a reclaim request to the institution that handles the account but they were rejected, receiving a notification that stated: "CASH NOT AVAILABLE".
Captain Jason Rivarde said this was a result of Spadoni already transferring her new fortune out of the account, adding: "She secreted it, and they were not able to access it," per The Independent.
Not long after, Spadoni reportedly used some of the funds to buy a house and a 2021 Hyundai Genesis SUV, with court documents claiming that her spending was between $48,000 and $70,000.
Schwab tried to reach the dispatcher for weeks via calls, texts, and emails but was unsuccessful. "By her conduct, Spadoni has made it clear she does not intend to return the mistakenly transferred funds to Schwab," the lawsuit added.
Due to this, Charles Schwab took Spadoni to federal court for refusing to return the cash to the company, saying that she signed their client contract that specifically notes that clients must return any overpayment of funds in full.
Kelyn Spadoni was arrested after spending money deposited into her account by mistake. Credit: Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office
At the time, Spadoni was arrested and booked with theft valued at more than $25,000, bank fraud, and illegal transmission of monetary funds, as revealed by a Sheriff's Office spokesperson.
“She has no legal claim to that money even if it was put in there by mistake. It was an accounting error,” Rivarde told Nola.com. "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."
The police told the outlet that detectives and lawyers were able to get back about 75 percent of the lost cash.
Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office has since disclosed that the charges against Spadoni were dropped. Despite this, she was fired from her job as a dispatcher and ordered to complete an "adult diversion" program, per The Sun.
"We are grateful to the authorities who were able to recover most of the assets that the defendant unlawfully acquired," spokesman Pete Greenley told the publication in 2022. "As was widely reported, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s office in the State of Louisiana filed charges at the time."
Featured image Credit: Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office
NEWS
May 29, 24
Save
By Asiya Ali
Article saved!Article saved!
A woman was apprehended by cops after $1.2 million appeared in her bank account.
When Kelyn Spadoni, a Louisiana dispatcher, discovered the unexpected sum in her brokerage account in February 2021, she didn’t waste time asking questions...in fact, she didn’t ask questions at all.
The 33-year-old couldn't believe her eyes when she opened her bank account and saw that Charles Schwab, a major financial services corporation, deposited a staggering $1.2 million.
However, it was agigantic erroras Schwab was only meant to transfer the dispatcher $82.56, as reported by nola.com.
Charles Schwab accidentally put $1.2m in Spadoni's bank account. Credit: Smith Collection/Gado / Getty
The bank staff tried to stop or reclaim the transfer but were unable to do so. The next day, they sent a reclaim request to the institution that handles the account but they were rejected, receiving a notification that stated: "CASH NOT AVAILABLE".
Captain Jason Rivarde said this was a result of Spadoni already transferring her new fortune out of the account, adding: "She secreted it, and they were not able to access it," per The Independent.
Not long after, Spadoni reportedly used some of the funds to buy a house and a 2021 Hyundai Genesis SUV, with court documents claiming that her spending was between $48,000 and $70,000.
Schwab tried to reach the dispatcher for weeks via calls, texts, and emails but was unsuccessful. "By her conduct, Spadoni has made it clear she does not intend to return the mistakenly transferred funds to Schwab," the lawsuit added.
Due to this, Charles Schwab took Spadoni to federal court for refusing to return the cash to the company, saying that she signed their client contract that specifically notes that clients must return any overpayment of funds in full.
Kelyn Spadoni was arrested after spending money deposited into her account by mistake. Credit: Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office
At the time, Spadoni was arrested and booked with theft valued at more than $25,000, bank fraud, and illegal transmission of monetary funds, as revealed by a Sheriff's Office spokesperson.
“She has no legal claim to that money even if it was put in there by mistake. It was an accounting error,” Rivarde told Nola.com. "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."
The police told the outlet that detectives and lawyers were able to get back about 75 percent of the lost cash.
Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office has since disclosed that the charges against Spadoni were dropped. Despite this, she was fired from her job as a dispatcher and ordered to complete an "adult diversion" program, per The Sun.
"We are grateful to the authorities who were able to recover most of the assets that the defendant unlawfully acquired," spokesman Pete Greenley told the publication in 2022. "As was widely reported, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s office in the State of Louisiana filed charges at the time."
