Former 911 dispatcher arrested over a windfall $1.2 million accidentally deposited into her account

• A former New Orleans 911 dispatcher was arrested on suspicion of misappropriating $1.2 million.
• Kelyn Spadoni, 33, is accused of using accidentally deposited cash to buy a car and a house.
• The financial-services company Charles Schwab has sued Spadoni over the funds.

A clerical error by the bank Charles Schwab is said to have left one woman $1.2 million richer - but not for long.

Kelyn Spadoni, a former 911 dispatcher in New Orleans, was arrested last week on accusations of pocketing the funds that were overpaid to her.

Authorities said Spadoni, 33, received the $1.2 million in her brokerage account accidentally.

The local media outlet Nola.com reported that Spadoni was meant to receive $82.56 from Charles Schwab but the company ended up transferring $1,205,619 into a brokerage account she had with Fidelity.

Court records allege that Spadoni closed the account immediately and moved the funds to another account in a bid to keep the money. She is accused of then using a portion to purchase a new house.

Authorities also accused Spadoni of using another chunk of the cash to buy a new 2021 Hyundai Genesis, which ranges in price from $48,000 to $70,000.

When Charles Schwab attempted to get its money back through the bank, its request was rejected since the account was closed and the funds were no longer available.

A Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman, Capt. Jason Rivarde, told the Associated Press that despite the funds having been credited to Spadoni, it was "not her money."

"She has no legal claim to that money," he said. "Even if it was put in there by mistake. It was an accounting error."

Spadoni has also been fired from her job, which she worked at for 4 1/2 years.

Charles Schwab sued Spadoni last week and has managed to recover about 75% of the $1.2 million.

The NBC affiliate WVUE reported that the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office arrested Spadoni last week and booked her on charges of theft valued at over $25,000, bank fraud, and the illegal transmission of monetary funds. She is being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center with bail set at $50,000.