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Photo: Getty Images
A 44-year-old former bank manager from Battle Ground, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 42 months in prison for Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identify Theft, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Brian Davie, a former branch manager at Wells Fargo, used unauthorized cash withdrawals, money transfers, and cashier’s checks to steal over $1 million. Davie targeted elderly and vulnerable customers. Eight victims have been identified. One woman had more than $566,000 stolen from her retirement accounts.
At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle said, “The wake of damage in this case is large. It involved multiple victims over some time... Our society depends on the trust of those who hold our finances.”
Davie worked for Wells Fargo in Battle Ground from March of 2014 until he was fired in June 2019. According to records in the case, Davie used his position as a manager at the branch to conduct unauthorized transactions. Davie had access to customer files containing information about bank account balances. Davie hid his criminal activity by repeatedly exchanging cashier’s checks until they were small enough to cash without triggering banking reporting requirements.
Davie continued undetected because he stole from elderly customers who might be less likely to closely monitor their account balances. Some of Davie’s victims had dementia or had limited English skills and did not understand banking transactions. In at least one case, Davie failed to file the paperwork to install a victim’s relative as a co-signer on the victim’s accounts. That failure prevented the relative from being able to monitor the account and detect the fraudulent transactions.
Davie deposited some of the stolen money in an account he created in the name of a relative’s business. He made some of the cashier’s checks payable to that relative or to the business account he created. Much of the money was withdrawn as cash.
In all, Davie embezzled S1,279,840 from victim accounts. Wells Fargo partially reimbursed victims for their losses.
Judge Settle will decide the amount of restitution Davie owes on March 18, 2024.
In asking for a four-year prison sentence, Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Dillon wrote to the court, “Bank fraud and aggravated identity theft cause devastating effects on their victims. It can often take years or even decades to undo the impact of identity theft and to untangle the impact it had on your finances and your credit score. Let alone the untold psychological damage it causes when you are unable to trust the government institutions that are designed to protect you. As a bank manager, Defendant knew better.”
This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Wells Fargo investigation team.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Dillon.