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

PROVIDENCE - A former employee of Santander Bank has been sentenced in federal court for stealing more than $125,000 from the bank account of a 78-year-old customer with dementia.

Carlos Bras, 41, of East Providence, was sentenced on October 8, 2026, by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose to 30 months of imprisonment to be followed by 3 years of supervised release and a $200 special assessment. Bras was also ordered to pay $126,000 in restitution. Bras previously pleading guilty to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents, 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; obtained a debit card for personal use; and conducted numerous unauthorized transactions, including transfers to accounts controlled by him and his family and multiple wire transfers to a bank account in Portugal.

Investigators also discovered a purported real estate contract in Portugal bearing the signatures of Bras and the victim. The victim's conservator reported that the victim was unaware of the transaction and that the signature and listed address were not the victim's.

"Mr. Bras exploited his position at a financial institution and took advantage of an elderly man who could not protect himself," said First Assistant United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda. "Today's sentence reflects the seriousness of that betrayal and the commitment of our office and our law enforcement partners to safeguard vulnerable members of our community."

"This sentencing sends a clear message: those who abuse positions of trust to target vulnerable victims will be held accountable," said Mark Comorosky, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Boston Field Office. "The defendant used his access as a bank employee to steal from an elderly victim and move funds for his own benefit. The Secret Service is proud to stand with our partners at the Seekonk Police Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office in bringing this case to a just conclusion."

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

The matter was investigated by the USSS and the Seekonk, Massachusetts Police Department.