Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DAYQUAN FITZGERALD-WILLIAMS, 26, formerly of Connecticut and currently residing in North Carolina, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today via videoconference before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
According to court documents and statements made in court today, Fitzgerald-Williams used his position as a bank employee, first at Citizens Bank and then at Santander Bank, to access customer information and provide that information to others who obtained funds from the accounts through unauthorized transactions. Between late 2018 and early 2020, as a mortgage development officer at Santander Bank, Fitzgerald-Williams searched bank records for older customers who had at least $100,000 in their accounts. He then passed along customer identifying and account information to others who used that information to cause approximately 70 fraudulent checks totaling approximately $1.6 million to be issued and more than $2 million in ACH transactions to be made or attempted. Not all of the fraudulent checks or ACH transactions ultimately cleared customers accounts.
During the conspiracy, Fitzgerald-Williams also attempted to negotiate a fraudulent check in the amount of $34,700 made payable to him.
At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Fitzgerald-Williams faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years.
Fitzgerald-Williams is released pending sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer R. Laraia.
Source: U.S. Secret Service