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Hartford County resident Lee Blanchette, age 59, of Farmington, was sentenced in district court to 12 months and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for stealing from the customer.
US Attorney Leonard Boyle said that Blanchette, a relationship manager at Bank of America, had the authority to cause temporary ATM cards to be activated and assigned to a customer’s account.
Between August 2014 and March 2016, prosecutors said that Blanchette caused multiple temporary ATM cards to be activated for bank accounts of a customer who she knew was experiencing cognitive decline.
According to court documents, without the customer’s authorization, Blanchette used the temporary ATM cards to withdraw significant funds from the customer’s accounts, keeping a significant portion for her own benefit, and causing a total loss of $103,080.
In May 2021, Blanchette pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. She was also ordered to pay full restitution to Bank of America, which covered the customer’s losses.
Blanchette, who remains released on bond, is required to report to prison on Monday, April 4.
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