Six bank accounts linked to Coinbase without agreement of the holders: a former employee of Ameris Bank accused

Six bank accounts linked to Coinbase without the consent of their holders. Mercedes Henry, a former employee of Ameris Bank in the Atlanta area, is accused of using the data of several customers to facilitate the fraudulent transfer of $931,500 to accounts controlled by alleged co-conspirators.

The 35-year-old woman was arrested and presented to a federal judge on September 25. She remains presumed innocent, the indictment having not yet been examined in a trial. Here is what we know about this affair.

Ameris Bank: Six customer accounts linked to Coinbase

Mercedes Henry worked as a universal banker, a versatile position that combines welcoming customers and managing different banking operations, in several Ameris Bank branches around Atlanta.

Between September and November 2021, she allegedly used the account numbers and identification data of six clients on at least six occasions. This information would have been used to link their bank accounts to accounts opened on Coinbase and controlled by his alleged accomplices.

Once the link was made, the group allegedly triggered the transfer of approximately $931,500 from the victims' accounts. The statement from the federal prosecutor in northern Georgia does not specify whether the funds were then used to purchase cryptocurrencies, whether they left Coinbase or whether any portion could be recovered.

The role assigned to the platform therefore remains that of an intermediary used to receive transfers. The authorities do not accuse Coinbase of any fault in this matter and do not indicate that a flaw in its systems would have facilitated operations.

For her alleged participation, Mercedes Henry allegedly received more than $1,000. Investigators do not give the total amount she ultimately collected or the identity of the other people involved.

Bank employee charged with three federal offenses

A federal grand jury adopted the indictment on September 22. Mercedes Henry was arrested three days later and appeared in federal court. She must answer for bank fraud, fraud linked to access devices and corruption.

In American federal law, the notion of “access device” does not only refer to a bank card. It may also cover account numbers, identifiers or other data allowing a transfer to be initiated. The prosecution specifically believes that his position gave him access to information that customers entrusted to their bank.

“Mercedes Henry allegedly stole sensitive information in order to facilitate nearly $1 million in fraudulent transfers from victims’ bank accounts to cryptocurrency accounts controlled by her accomplices. »

Theodore S. Hertzberg, Federal Prosecutor for North Georgia – Source: Press release

The case thus involves an abuse of internal access rather than a hack of Coinbase or Ameris Bank. The victims would not have validated the operations and their identifiers would have been used directly from inside the bank.