CEO of Evolve Bank Fired Amid Serious Charges
Bob Hartheimer, who served as the CEO of Evolve Bank & Trust in Tennessee, was dismissed after being caught by law enforcement impersonating a 15-year-old boy on the dating app Grindr.
On October 19, FBI agents monitored activity on the site. An undercover agent, posing as a teenager, received a message from a user named “Tom,” expressing a desire to date an “older, cooler guy.”
The correspondence led to discussions about meeting later that week, as well as explicit conversations regarding potential sexual acts. “Tom” requested revealing photos of the supposed minor and even shared nude images of himself. The FBI traced Tom’s IP address through Snapchat, confirming it linked back to Hartheimer.
Hartheimer was arrested on October 23 in Memphis. He now faces charges for attempting to produce child pornography and for transferring obscene material to a minor, as detailed in the warrants.
Blake Ballin, Hartheimer’s attorney, confirmed on Saturday that his client had been let go by Evolve. He mentioned that Hartheimer’s family is aware of the charges, expressing their support and requesting privacy during this challenging time.
The news of Hartheimer’s termination was highlighted on Friday. Evolve Bank did not offer a comment when approached.
Previously, Evolve had experienced issues when financial technology startup Synapse went bankrupt, causing disruptions in transaction processing and account details. This ultimately resulted in significant financial losses impacting many customers.
Additionally, the bank faced a cyberattack in 2024, during which hackers accessed customer data and demanded a ransom, though Evolve reportedly did not comply.
In August, Hartheimer was appointed CEO, taking over from Scott Stafford, who retired after years with the bank. At the time of his hiring, Evolve praised Hartheimer’s extensive experience within regulatory roles and the financial sector.
While Evolve had maintained profitability since 2003, it reported losses in the first three quarters of 2025, according to Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council data.
