PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A former employee of Santander Bank has admitted to stealing more than $125,000 from the bank account of a 78-year-old customer with dementia.
Carlos Bras, 41, of East Providence, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement on Wednesday.
Bras is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 15. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for mail fraud and a mandatory consecutive term of two years for aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, Bras was employed by Santander Bank and had access to customer financial accounts.
Beginning around May 2023, Bras accessed the account of the 78-year-old victim, who lived in an assisted living facility and had a court-appointed conservator in Massachusetts.
Bras admitted that he enabled online banking access to the victim’s account, ordered checks sent to addresses he controlled, and obtained a debit card for personal use.
He further admitted to conducting numerous unauthorized transactions, including transfers to his wife’s account and multiple wire transfers to a bank account in Portugal.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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