911 dispatcher, 33, is arrested and fired 'for refusing to return $1.2million mistakenly deposited into her account by Charles Schwab - and using it to buy a house and car'
A 911 dispatcher in a suburb of New Orleans has been accused of refusing to return more than $1.2million that had been accidentally deposited into her brokerage account, and spending a quarter of the money on a new house and a car.
Kelyn Spadoni, 33, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of theft valued over $25,000, bank fraud and illegal transmission of monetary funds. She was fired from her job by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office after her arrest.
Spadoni was being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on a $50,000 bond.
Authorities said a clerical error had caused Charles Schwab, a major financial services corporation, to deposit $1,205,619million into her brokerage account when it only meant to transfer $82.56 in February, nola.com reported.
When the bank attempted to reclaim the money, the request was rejected because the money was not available, according to court documents.
A clerical error had caused Charles Schwab to deposit $1,205,619 million into Spadoni's brokerage account when it only meant to transfer $82.56 in February (image from lawsuit)
When the company attempted to reclaim the money sent in error, the request was rejected because the money was not available (pictured above)
The sheriff's office said it was later learned that Spadoni had moved the funds into another account, and then used some of it to purchase a new home and a 2021 Hyundai Genesis.
Capt. Jason Rivarde, a sheriff's spokesman, said that although the money was put into her account, 'it's not her money.'
'She has no legal claim to that money,' he added. 'Even if it was put in there by mistake. It was an accounting error.'
The company tried to contact Spadoni several times to have the transferred funds returned but were unsuccessful (texts from Charles Schwab's attorney pictured)
Spadoni was said to have spent a quarter of the misbegotten money on a house and a 2012 Hyundai Genesis (stock image)
Charles Schwab & Co. sued Spadoni on Tuesday in federal court. The company tried to contact Spadoni several times to have the transferred funds returned but were unsuccessful, Rivarde said. So far, about 75 per cent of the money has been recovered, he added.
The company argued in its lawsuit that Spadoni's account contract with Schwab includes an agreement that if a client receives an overpayment of funds, the client is required to return the full amount.
'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.
He said Spadoni had been with the sheriff's office 911 center for more than four years.
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