Rochester man accused of accessing customer accounts and stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars
(WNY News Now) – ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A former bank employee has been arrested and charged in a wide-ranging fraud scheme that allegedly targeted customer accounts and resulted in the theft of nearly half a million dollars.
Damani Brown, 28, of Rochester, was charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud, computer fraud, and bank fraud, U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced Monday. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, an investigation began in August 2024 after a Rochester-area bank notified the FBI of suspicious activity involving unauthorized access to approximately 12 customer accounts. An internal review found that Brown, who was employed by the bank at the time, used his employee credentials to access personal account details including customer names, Social Security numbers, and bank member numbers.
Investigators allege that shortly after Brown accessed this information, a co-conspirator registered the customers’ online accounts and began transferring funds without the account holders’ consent. In total, roughly $477,000 was illegally moved from the affected accounts. Approximately $327,000 was either withdrawn in cash from local branches or transferred via CashApp.
In January 2025, the FBI obtained search warrants for Google accounts linked to the scheme. Investigators found evidence of bank verification emails, password resets, and account freeze notifications that matched the timeline of the fraudulent activity.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, led by Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm.
Brown is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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