A former employee at a commercial bank in the US just pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to open more than 100 accounts fraudulently.
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey says Jhonnatan Steven Rodriguez, 32, of Naples, Florida, has pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of bribes by a bank employee and one count of making false bank entries.
The crimes occurred when Rodriguez worked for TD Bank. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.
“In late 2022, Rodriguez began opening bank accounts for unknown individuals in exchange for bribes of approximately $200 to $250 per account. During the scheme, Rodriguez accepted bribes in exchange for fraudulently opening approximately 140 bank accounts, some of which were used for fraud.
In carrying out this bribery scheme, Rodriguez would often forge the purported customers’ signatures on account opening documents. To protect his identity, Rodriguez used the alias ‘Jorge’ on a text messaging app to communicate with the individuals seeking bank accounts.”
According to prosecutors, Rodriguez opened multiple accounts for several people.
“For example, one individual sent Rodriguez 25 payments totaling $6,335 in exchange for opening multiple TD Bank accounts. Similarly, on or about December 17, 2022, another individual sent Rodriguez $1,050 in exchange for opening multiple TD Bank accounts.”
Rodriguez is due back in federal court on November 25th for sentencing.
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