A former personal banker at JPMorgan Chase will spend the next four years in jail after admitting in court that he stole and sold customers’ confidential information.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s for the Eastern District of New York, Peter Persaud pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft in connection with access device fraud and was sentenced to 48 months in jail.
Court documents showed that between 2011 and 2015, Persaud sold customers’ personal identifying information and account information to others, or used it himself, to make unauthorized withdrawals from customers’ accounts.
According to authorities, Persaud’s scheme was discovered when he sold sensitive customer information to a confidential informant in 2014, and later to an undercover law enforcement officer in 2015.
Court documents showed that Persaud told the undercover officer that needed to “take it easy” otherwise Chase might realize he had accessed all of the bank accounts that “got hit” by the questionable withdrawals.
Persaud also offered the undercover officer the identifying information for a client’s bank account that contained more than $180,000.
Persaud pleaded guilty on March 7, 2017.
“Persaud abused his position by victimizing unsuspecting customers, and will now pay the penalty for his fraudulent conduct,” Richard Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement. “This Office will continue to work closely with our law enforcement and industry partners to vigorously prosecute those who undermine the integrity of the financial system.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that Persaud is a former employee of JPMorgan Chase. A representative from the bank told HousingWire that the bank will not be commenting on the situation.
