Former banker conned woman into helping him steal thousands from customers, police say

A man serving as a personal banker at Wells Fargo allegedly conned a woman into helping him steal $16,000 from Hurricane Irma evacuees, according to testimony Tuesday in Columbus Recorder’s Court.

Jeremy Pritchett, who no longer works with Wells Fargo, pleaded not guilty to 13 counts financial transaction card fraud. He was booked into the Muscogee County Jail under bonds totaling $19,500.

Judge Julius Hunter bound the case over to Superior Court.

Columbus police received a call from a woman around 9:50 a.m. Sept. 26. She stated that she is part of a group of Hurricane Irma evacuees that relocated as a part of a mandatory evacuation from Palmetto, Fla., to Phenix City.

Authorities said Pritchett used his position as a personal banker at Wells Fargo to gain access to personal information on several accounts. He allegedly activated debit cards in 14 customer’s accounts without their permission. For some, more than one card was activated.

Police said 13 transactions were made with those debit cards.

Ten were successful made at ATMS and led to a total of $4,020 being withdrawn from those accounts. Someone attempted to take another three transactions totaling $1,260, but those transactions were declined.

Detective Crystal Hatcher said officials collected surveillance footage from multiple ATMs where the victim’s debit cards were used. One video showed a woman use one of the debit cards at an ATM.

Officers posted a still from the video on its Facebook page and asked if anyone was able to identify her. Ten minutes later, several people had identified the woman and reported it to authorities.

She contacted authorities when she learned that she was wanted for questioning. She told detectives that Pritchett approached her boyfriend outside of their home, according to police.

“They had a conversation which led, ultimately, to Mr. Pritchett asking (the woman) if she could help him out and go to the bank with him and draw some money from his account, because he was back on the pills and did no want his wife to know,” Hatcher said.

Pritchett allegedly paid her to do it, and she agreed to do it. They exchanged phone numbers.

Authorities sad Pritchett would tell her to meet him at the Wells Fargo on 13th Street. He would allegedly give her a Wells Fargo banking envelope with a debit card inside that had a pin number on the back.

“He would instruct her as to which bank to go to,” Hatcher testified. “She would go to that bank and withdraw the cash that he told her to withdraw and return to his place of employment at Wells Fargo. She would give him the car as well as the cash back.”

Officials said surveillance footage shows the woman withdrawing cash from the 13th Street bank and heading back inside of the bank multiple times.

Tuesday’s hearing was held about three weeks after Pritchett pleaded not guilty to 17 counts of financial transaction card theft, 14 counts of identity fraud and 10 counts of financial exploitation of an elderly person.

Attorney Shevon Thomas, who represented Pritchett during the Nov. 9 hearing, there were a total of $16,000 in losses.

This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Former banker conned woman into helping him steal thousands from customers, police say."