A Louisiana woman working as a 911 dispatcher was arrested after she allegedly refused to return $1.2 million that was accidentally deposited into her bank account, KNOE8 News reported Monday.
Kelyn Spadoni, 33, was terminated by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office after she was charged with theft last week, bank fraud and illegal transmission of monetary funds. Spadoni had worked for the department for four and a half years.
Authorities said Charles Schwab & Co. inadvertently deposited the funds into Spadoni's account, Business Insider reported.
According to the report, upon receiving the money, Spadoni quickly transferred it to her brokerage account and used the money to buy a house and a 2021 Hyundai Genesis valued between $48,000 and $70,000.
Charles Schwab was unable to contact Spadoni regarding the error and filed a lawsuit against her and so far have recovered around 75% of the funds.
The company said it contacted her workplace but was informed Spadoni was unable to come to the phone, the report said.
"She has no legal claim to the funds," Jason Rivarde, a sheriff's office representative, said. "Even if it was put in there by error, it was an accounting mistake."
On Feb. 23, 2021, Schwab intended to transfer $82.56 into a Fidelity Brokerage Services account owned by Spadoni.
But instead, the company transferred $1,205,619, court records show.
Schwab staffers immediately tried to cancel the transfer, but were unable to, NOLA.com said.
Spadoni is currently detained at the Jefferson Parish Correctional facility on a $50,000 bond.
