Citibank must pay nearly $3.5 million to a Queens stroke victim after missing blatant signs of fraud in her accounts \u2014 then allegedly hiding evidence in the court case that uncovered the theft.<\/p>\n
The possibly precedent-setting Dec. 19 decision from Queens Supreme Court Justice Bernice Siegal sanctioned the bank $10,000 for \u201cconcealing critical evidence for over 14 months in violation of court orders\u201d in the case of 80-year-old Leileth Faye Graham \u2014 who ironically was once a legal secretary for a firm that repped the banking behemoth.<\/p>\n
The bank\u2019s alleged feet-dragging in the ongoing 2023 proceeding \u2014 and apparent refusal to refund Graham the more than $772,000 stolen from her accounts \u2014 also prompted Siegal to slap Citibank with treble damages under the Electronic Funds Transfer Act.<\/p>\n
Leileth Graham\u2019s health began to deteriorate after a stroke, according to court papers. Courtesy of the Graham family<\/p>\n
Citibank has denied wrongdoing <\/a>and appealed the order \u2014 leaving Graham\u2019s family praying she eventually gets her money.<\/p>\n \u201cMy hope is that something will come through, so that she gets to enjoy something out of it before she passes away,\u201d said Graham\u2019s niece, Ingrid Gayle, who now oversees her care.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause that would really be sad, that we fight for her to get back her money, and that she doesn\u2019t even get to enjoy a thousand of it.\u201d<\/p>\n The bank was ordered to pay the whopping sum \u201cfor failure to investigate or to return the funds removed from [her] account without consent or authority,\u201d court papers show.<\/p>\n The 1978 law protects consumers in electronic transactions<\/a>, but Citibank allegedly sat on its hands while another niece, Joan Hope Bowden, allegedly made 211 withdrawals in Massachusetts where she lived \u2014 a state where the legally blind, bed-bound Graham didn\u2019t travel, according to court papers.<\/p>\n About $135,000 was taken from those withdrawals, and 15 wire transfers bled another $638,000, court papers showed. <\/p>\n Ingrid Gayle said any money received would go to her aunt\u2019s comfort, including a special vehicle to help the bed-bound woman get out and a renovation of her apartment to help her get around easier. Courtesy of the Graham family<\/p>\n \u201cOk Citibank you all didn\u2019t see this<\/a>?\u201d wondered Gayle. \u201cThis is not normal. You\u2019re calling her, you\u2019re not getting her, why continue the transaction?\u201d<\/p>\n The accused thief used Graham\u2019s cash to pay for vacations in Jamaica, a Washington DC property for her daughter and son-in-law, and doled out money to her own sister and grandkids, a court-appointed evaluator determined.<\/p>\n