A 911 dispatcher in Louisiana was arrested after authorities say she refused to return $1.2 million that was accidentally deposited into her account
- A Louisiana woman who worked as a dispatcher in a sheriff's office was fired and arrested last week.
- She is accused of refusing to return $1.2 million that was accidentally deposited into her account.
- The company Charles Schwab is suing her and blamed the mistake on a "software enhancement."
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, the 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 over accusations that she repeatedly evaded requests to return funds inadvertently transferred to her in February.
Spadoni is said to be accused of transferring the funds to another account and using 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, saying she ignored its attempts to reach her by calls, text messages, and emails. The company said it once contacted her workplace but was told she was unable to come to the phone.
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 a Fidelity account owned by Spadoni when it accidentally transferred more than $1.2 million because of an "issue created by a software enhancement." In the lawsuit, the company said its terms of service required customers to return any money inadvertently transferred to them.
The lawsuit says the company attempted to get the money back the following day but was told the funds were no longer in the Fidelity account because Spadoni had moved them to another account.
Capt. Jason Rivarde, a representative for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, told Nola.com that Spadoni received funds, transferred mistakenly by Charles Schwab & Co., because of an "accounting error."
"It's not her money," Rivarde told the outlet, adding "she has no legal claim" to it.
He said authorities had been able to retrieve about 75% of the funds.