Man who stole $88,000 from bank vault caught after flashing stacks of bills on social media, FBI says
Federal investigators have arrested a man who allegedly stole $88,000 from a bank vault after the suspect posted photos of stolen stacks of bills online.
Charlotte resident Arlando M. Henderson, 29, allegedly had access to the vault at the Wells Fargo location where he worked and stole the sum over the course of at least 18 different occasions in 2019, according to a federal indictment filed in the U.S. District Court in the Western District of North Carolina on Nov. 19.
The vault he allegedly stole from contained cash deposits from customers, according to a news release by the FBI. Henderson was hired in April, and by July, he had allegedly stolen more than $70,000 in cash. The amounts he stole on an almost-daily basis in June and July alone ranged from $200 to $13,450, the court documents state.
Henderson was allegedly seen on his social media accounts posting several pictures of himself holding large stacks of cash through July and August, the court documents state. The stolen money was insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, according to the indictment.
After stealing the money, Henderson would allegedly deposit the cash in $50 and $100 bills into his account at an ATM near the bank, according to the indictment. To conceal his actions, he allegedly destroyed certain documents and made, as well as caused others to make, various false entries in the books, such as falsifying deposit slips and related records to understate the amount of customers' deposits.
Henderson allegedly used the money to pay for personal expenses and to make a $20,000 cash payment on a 2019 Mercedes-Benz vehicle, authorities said. He also is accused of obtaining a fraudulent car loan from another financial institution to pay for the remaining balance on that vehicle by using falsified documents, including falsified bank statements, and other false information.
Henderson is charged with with two counts of financial institution fraud, 19 counts of theft, embezzlement and misapplication,12 counts of making false entries and transactional money laundering. Combined, the charges carry a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a $1.25 million fine.
He was arrested in San Diego on Dec. 4 and has made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
ABC News could not immediately reach Henderson for comment. It is unclear whether he has retained an attorney.
ABC News' Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
