A Tacoma woman was sentenced to 30 months in prison for her role in a bank fraud scheme that siphoned $345,000 from unsuspecting customers at a credit union where she was employed, according to U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. Aneicia Ford, 32, exploited her position almost immediately after starting her job by stealing confidential account information, which facilitated the fraud perpetrated by her co-conspirators.
Ford's employment as a contact center employee lasted from May to August 2022; during this period Ford had ample access to customer information, despite her brief tenure, this allowed her to assist Dangelo Roberts, 23, and others, in their illicit plot by ensuring the selected victims were ideal targets for fraud, the theft of these funds required nuanced coordination, forged identification, and modified ATM withdrawal limits.
The fraudulent operation led by Roberts, who a court recently sentenced to three years in prison, relied heavily on Ford's inside knowledge, allowing the group to obtain large sums of cash, purchase money orders and cashier's checks, and illegally transfer funds between accounts. U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead, in sentencing Ford, highlighted the gravity of her actions by stating, "What you did was serious… Your employer trusted you with access to customers' more personal information…. Real people suffered real harm from the actions that you took."
The victimized credit union replenished the stolen funds for affected customers, however, the institution itself bore the financial brunt of the scheme, the prosecution's case, spearheaded by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jessica M. Ly, leaned on evidence from extensive electronic logs showing Ford accessed the victims’ accounts multiple times, fueling the conspiracy over several months and not in a singular, haphazard spree—revealing a calculated pattern to her infractions.
Investigations by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG) and the FBI exposed the extent of the scheme, underscoring the vulnerability of personal information in the digital age and the importance of vigilant oversight in financial institutions. Ford pleaded guilty on May 20, 2025, accepting responsibility for her actions that significantly undermined the trust inherent in the banking system.
