Bank Employee Allegedly Steals $1,000,000 in Cash From New York Bank Vault, Fleeing With Stacks of Money in Backpack: Report

A bank teller has been arrested for allegedly grabbing $1,000,000 in cash from his employer’s vault and successfully sneaking it out of the premises.

Daniel A. Acebo was hired by a New York bank – which hasn’t yet been named – as a business banker, according to local reports.

One of his jobs was to tally up the cash in the bank’s vault at the end of each day, but according to a probable cause arrest affidavit, Acebo allegedly stole the money and concealed the theft by creating false reports and forging his supervisor’s signature.

In what may have been an attempt to keep the theft undiscovered, Acebo reportedly requested an exception to a 1997 New York banking regulation that requires employees in sensitive positions to be absent from their duties for a minimum of two consecutive weeks each year.

As stated by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York,

“Such a requirement enhances the viability of a sound internal control environment because most frauds or embezzlements require the continual presence of the wrongdoer.”

However, Acebo’s request was turned down by his employer.

The incident happened in 2023, and while Acebo was on vacation in December of last year, another teller was counting the cash and discovered that only about $100,000 was in the vault, despite Acebo reporting that there was $1,145,050 inside.

Video footage allegedly shows Acebo practicing his supervisor’s signature while at work. Other surveillance shows him slipping money into a backpack or in his sock while pretending to tie his shoe before leaving the bank.

Between June 1st and December 17th of last year, Acebo allegedly made 135 cash deposits at various ATMs throughout the state totaling $600,000.

Acebo was subsequently charged with embezzlement and misapplication by a bank officer in a U.S. District Court in White Plains, New York.

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