OCC unveils nine prohibitions for December, including three after convictions for money laundering

Nine prohibitions against former bank workers were revealed by the regulator of national banks Thursday, with three of those coming after the bankers were convicted of money laundering.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) said its enforcement actions for December included prohibitions against:

  • Marco Antonio Rodriguez Arango, teller at an Oceanside, Calif., branch of Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (N.A.), Sioux Falls, S.D., for taking funds from the branch bank vault for personal use which resulted in personal financial gain and a loss to the bank.
  • Helen Caldwell, former financial advisor, Citibank, N.A., Sioux Falls, S.D., resolving Notice of Charges, in which the agency alleged, among other things, that Caldwell: solicited an elderly customer to invest, and the customer did invest, more than $200,000 in a company Caldwell co-owned; received at least $99,000 in direct payments from the company; and falsely represented that she was following, and would follow, policies prohibiting this conduct. Caldwell consented to the order without admitting or denying the allegations in the notice, the agency said.
  • Marily Sandybell Espinosa, personal banker, Wells Fargo Bank, for making multiple unauthorized withdrawals from a customer’s account for personal use.
  • Cheung Kin Lam, personal banker, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Columbus, Ohio, for embezzling funds from the bank and falsifying bank records to conceal his theft.
  • Yecenia D. Perez, former bank assistant manager, Winter Hill Bank, Federal Savings Bank (FSB), Sommerville, Mass., for misappropriating funds at a loss or risk of loss to the bank.
  • Terry Alan Walker, former customer experience representative at a BMO Harris Bank, N.A., location in Indianapolis, Ind., for misappropriating funds at a loss or risk of loss to the Bank.

The three former Wells Fargo Bank bankers who were prohibited based on their convictions for money laundering charges were:

  • Leopoldo Lora Aguilera, former personal banker;
  • Arlando Henderson, former branch manager;
  • Carlos Antonio Vasquez, former branch manager.

OCC Announces Enforcement Actions for December 2023