Former Bank Employee Admits Stealing More Than $125,000 from Elderly Customer with Dementia

PROVIDENCE - A former employee of Santander Bank has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to stealing more than $125,000 from the bank account of a 78-year-old customer with dementia.

Carlos Bras, 41, of East Providence, pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Bras is scheduled to be sentenced on September 15, 2026. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for mail fraud, and a mandatory consecutive term of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

According to court documents, Bras was employed by Santander Bank and had access to customer financial accounts. Beginning in or about May 2023, Bras accessed the account of the 78-year-old victim, who resided in an assisted living facility and had a court-appointed conservator in Massachusetts.

Bras admitted that he enabled online banking access to the victim's account, ordered checks sent to addresses he controlled, and obtained a debit card for personal use. He further admitted to conducting numerous unauthorized transactions, including transfers to his wife's account, and multiple wire transfers to a bank account in Portugal.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney G. Michael Seaman.

The matter was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Seekonk, Massachusetts Police Department