Federal agents say a trusted insider at a South Florida bank was quietly helping scammers raid customer accounts, to the tune of roughly $1.3 million.
Ana Dalila Vega, 33, of Hollywood, a former personal banker at a Citibank branch, was arrested Friday after investigators accused her of using her inside access to unblock frozen accounts, add unauthorized signers and move money for co-conspirators. Agents say she even booked a one-way ticket to Nicaragua before they picked her up in Fort Lauderdale.
The criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of Florida charges Vega with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and says the alleged scheme ran from March 2023 through January 2024, according to the criminal complaint. The affidavit, prepared by a U.S. Secret Service special agent, states that Vega initially denied any involvement, then admitted she agreed to help co-conspirators unblock accounts and transfer funds after she was confronted with evidence.
How investigators say the scheme worked
According to investigators, Vega helped process an unauthorized $60,000 wire transfer in March 2023 to an account named GETTHEBREAD LLC, and later assisted with a series of transactions that stripped about $1.3 million from a customer account in December 2023, according to WPLG Local 10. Law enforcement included text messages and bank surveillance footage in the complaint, and Vega was allegedly paid several thousand dollars in cash for her help.
Investigation and arrest
The criminal complaint says Department of Homeland Security records showed Vega booked a one-way ticket to Nicaragua on Jan. 17, 2026, with a scheduled departure of Feb. 26 and no return flight listed. Agents recorded a Feb. 23 phone call with her in which she did not mention any upcoming travel. The affidavit recounts that Vega first claimed she did not know the co-conspirator, then later acknowledged her role in the scheme after being confronted with the evidence, according to the criminal complaint.
Charges and penalties
Vega is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1349. The federal bank fraud statute she is accused of conspiring to violate carries steep potential penalties: up to 30 years in prison and fines of up to $1,000,000, per 18 U.S.C. § 1344. The Southern District of Florida has brought similar bank fraud cases before, according to a prior U.S. Attorney’s Office press release.
What happens next
Federal agents took Vega into custody and booked her into the Broward County jail, and records showed she was scheduled for an initial appearance before a magistrate judge, according to WPLG Local 10. Citibank declined to comment to reporters, the outlet reported.
The case will now move through federal court, where prosecutors could seek additional charges or an indictment. Vega, like anyone accused in a criminal case, is presumed innocent unless and until she is convicted.
