Wells Fargo employee: overnightened over $ 40,000 from machines!

Wells Fargo employee: overnightened over $ 40,000 from machines!

On October 4, 2025, two former employees of Wells Fargo were accused of stealing thousands of dollars from banking machines from the bank. This reports the Daily Hodl that refers to new consent orders of a financial regulator.

The first person, Carolyn Hicks, was previously Operations Assistant Manager in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It is accused of misappropriating around 25,000 USD from an ATM between January and February 2024. As a result of these allegations, the Office of the Compotroller of the Currency (OCC) has banned Hicks to take part in business of insured banks, credit cooperatives and deposit facilities.

In detail: the allegations against the employees

The OCC also prohibited Walther Riano-Vanegas, a former cashier of the Wells Fargo branch in Linden, New Jersey. Riano-Vanegas is accused of removing a total of around $ 15,670 from two ATMs between September 7, 2021 and December 23, 2021. During this time he was responsible for the ATMs and admitted in an interview and in a written declaration on January 31, 2022 that he had taken the lack of cash.

Both Hicks and Riano-Vanegas have approved the enforcement measure of the OCC, but without admitting or rejecting misconduct. This means that the doors remain open to possible further criminal measures on the part of other US authorities.

Reactions and consequences

The incidents come at a time when the public's trust in banks is becoming increasingly important. The OCC has therefore made it clear that the integrity of the banking system must be preserved. Such measures are attempted to minimize potential damage and risks caused by criminal behavior.

The cases of Hicks and Riano-Vanegas illustrate the challenges with which financial institutions are faced with, and the need for stricter controls to prevent fraud within the banking industry.