It's a dream to wake up and find $120,000 deposited into your bank account. It's a nightmare if you spend it without finding out why the cash was there in the first place.
It's always a good idea to check with the bank when six figures magically appear. A Pennsylvania couple did not, and they are now facing three felony charges of theft and receiving stolen property theft charges, according to court records.
Robert Williams and Tiffany Williams, of Montoursville, found the surprise windfall when it was accidentally deposited into their BB&T account May 31, the Williamsport Sun-Gazette reported. The couple then embarked on a two-and-a-half week shopping spree, buying a camper, a race car and a Chevrolet SUV between June 3 and June 19, the newspaper reported.
The couple used some of the newfound cash to pay bills and handed out $15,000 to friends who needed it, according to The Washington Post
The money was supposed to be deposited to the account of Dimension Covington Investment LLC, the Sun-Gazette reported.
The bank, realizing its mistake, transferred the $120,000 to the proper account, WNEP reported.Bank officials contacted Tiffany Williams, telling her the withdrawals resulted in a $107,416 overdraft, Pennsylvania State Trooper Aaron Brown told the Sun-Gazette.
That returned the Williams' account to $1,121, the amount in the account before the six-figure boost.
In separate interviews with investigators in late July, the Williamses "admitted to knowing the mislaid money did not belong to them, but they spent it anyway," the Sun-Gazette reported.
The two were arraigned last Tuesday and released on $25,000 bail each, the newspaper reported.
In an email to the Post, BB&T spokesman Brian Davis said, "While we can't comment on the specifics of this issue due to client privacy practices, we always work as quickly as possible to address any issue that affects our clients. We're also continuously working to enhance our client service and operating procedures to provide the best client experience possible."
A man who answered the door at the Williamses home said he was Robert Williams' father, WNEP reported.
“I have no idea, I don`t even know what`s going on. I`m just the dad, I have no idea what`s going on, I don`t know what to tell you,” the man told the television station.
A neighbor of the Williamses, Nate Weaver, told WNEP the incident was "kind of shocking."
“With all the procedures the banks have set up, checking and double-checking and triple-checking, there’s no way anybody gets away with that stuff,” Weaver told the television station.
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