CLEVELAND, Ohio — A former PNC Bank branch manager has admitted stealing more than $60,000 from a deceased customer's account.
According to court records, Lamont Hankins forged documents, lied to employees about his relationship with the deceased customer, and siphoned money, including airfare for himself and his wife, from accounts he used for personal purposes.
Hankins pleaded guilty last week in federal court in Cleveland to one count of embezzlement. He agreed to repay the $60,181 he received.
U.S. District Judge Bridget Brennan handed down sentencing on February 20th. Hankins could be sentenced to anything from home confinement to 16 months in prison.
His attorney, Charles Langmack, said his client accepts responsibility and “looks forward to making amends to the community.”
Hankins executed the scheme in late 2021, according to court records. His customer had opened a bank account at the branch in June 1971, but died on September 22, 2015.
As a manager at PNC's Harvard-Lee branch, Mr. Hankins had unfettered access to customer accounts and oversaw the transfer of information to auditors, according to court records.
On September 8, he lied in bank records that he had spoken to a deceased customer about reopening a dormant account. He changed her address in the system and issued two debit cards linked to her account.
Hankins made 193 transactions totaling $22,611, including airfare. He siphoned off an additional $31,536 by transferring money from customers' accounts to his personal accounts.
During the transfer on December 20, 2021, Hankins told the bank teller that the woman whose account he stole was his aunt. According to court records, the man told the same teller that he opened the account in her name because he was hiding money from his wife.
Adam Ferris covers federal court. cleveland.com And the Plain Dealer. you can find his work here.
