An unexpected fortune fell into the lap of an unsuspecting individual who was abruptly thrust into a whirlwind of legal drama and ethical dilemmas, all due to a solitary clerical error
Kelyn Spadoni thought her life had changed forever when Charles Schwab mistakenly deposited a staggering $1.2 million into her account. Believing it was a stroke of luck, the dedicated 911 dispatcher seized the opportunity to enhance her lifestyle by buying a house and a car. But she soon discovered that the money wasn’t hers, and she was required to return it.
When Spadoni refused to give back the funds, she faced arrest for theft over $25,000, bank fraud, and illegal transmission of monetary funds. Charles Schwab tried to recover the erroneously deposited money, but it had already vanished from Spadoni’s account.
Consequently, she was arrested on Wednesday and lost her job as a 911 dispatcher at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. After posting a $50,000 bond, she was released from the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center and now awaits her day in court.
The massive deposit was the result of a clerical error by Charles Schwab, who intended to transfer a mere $82.56 into Spadoni’s account but accidentally added $1,205,619. When the bank attempted to recover the funds, they discovered that Spadoni had already withdrawn the money for her personal use.
Capt. Jason Rivarde, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, emphasized, “it’s not her money,” despite the bank’s mistake. Spadoni allegedly transferred the unexpected windfall to a separate account before using it to buy a new home and a 2021 Hyundai Genesis. Rivarde added, “She has no legal claim to that money. Even if it was put in there by mistake. It was an accounting error.”
Charles Schwab & Co. filed a lawsuit against Spadoni in federal court on Tuesday. The brokerage firm’s attorney tried to contact her multiple times but was met with silence. Thankfully, the firm managed to recover about seventy-five percent of the money deposited into Spadoni’s account. Charles Schwab’s lawsuit cites their customer contract, which mandates that any overpayment must be returned to the firm.
Rivarde drew a parallel, saying, “If someone accidentally puts an extra zero on a utility payment, they would want that money returned or credited to them. This is no different.” Before her dismissal from the sheriff’s office, Spadoni had been a hardworking employee for four years. However, her job loss came as a result of the charges against her and the sheriff’s office siding with Charles Schwab on the matter.
Source: AWM
Thomas Cooper