Bank Employee Accused of Quietly Draining $40,000 From Customers’ Accounts in Just Five Weeks

A bank employee is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from customers’ accounts over a period of less than two months.

Hawaii’s Department of the Attorney General says 24-year-old Alohi Kaupu-Grace has been indicted by a Hawaii County grand jury on charges of computer fraud and theft after allegedly draining over $40,000 from customers while working as a teller at the Bank of Hawaii.

According to the attorney general, Kaupu-Grace “stole money from residents who were simply trying to conduct financial transactions at their bank” during her period of employment.

Per a Hawaii Tribune-Herald report, Kaupu-Grace allegedly committed the offenses between February 8th of 2024 and March 14th of 2024.

If convicted on all or some of the charges, Kaupu-Grace faces a prison sentence of between five to 20 years and a fine of between $10,000 – $50,000.

Earlier this year, Kaupu-Grace was arrested and charged with various offenses related to making unauthorized transactions on a credit card belonging to a Bank of Hawaii customer.

According to the Hawaii Police Department, Kaupu-Grace made a fraudulent charge of more than $750 on the credit card and was charged with offenses including “second-degree theft, second-degree identity theft, unauthorized possession of personal confidential information and fraudulent use of a credit card.”

In June, the Federal Reserve slapped Kaupu-Grace with a prohibition order following allegations of theft from customer accounts involving thousands of dollars.

According to the Fed, Kaupu-Grace allegedly falsified customers’ signatures on cash withdrawal slips as well as on the purchase slips of cashier’s checks. Besides banning her from the banking industry, the Fed also ordered Kaupu-Grace to pay $5,200 as partial restitution to the Bank of Hawaii.

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