KENT—A Webster Bank employee is facing a Feb. 27 Superior Court appearance after being accused of illegally withdrawing more than $100,000 from older customers’ accounts and transferring them to his personal accounts.
Arron Parsons, 44, who was taken into custody at his home Jan. 5, and who is charged with first-degree larceny, was held on a $160,000 cash/surety bond pending his arraignment at Torrington Superior Court Jan. 8.
Court records reveal he was released on a $25,000 bond.
A state police report said that investigation into Parsons’ activities began in June when the bank identified “unusual account activity in the form of increased cash withdrawals from the savings account of an elderly client of the Kent branch location.”
The bank reviewed the withdrawal slips and identified the handwriting as being Parsons’ and not the client’s. The bank then reviewed security footage from the transactions and determined that the client was not present at the time the withdrawals were made.
A bank representative reported the information to Kent Resident State Trooper Andrew Fisher, who was provided the security tapes.
During the investigation initiated by the bank, it was learned that between Feb. 22, 2022, and Feb. 21, 2023, Parsons made approximately 39 unauthorized withdrawals from five accounts held by five different Banking Center clients, totaling more than $100,000.
A review of Parsons accounts revealed that from September 2022 through February 2023, he primarily made ATM and over-the-counter cash deposits to his own accounts, several of which corresponded to the amounts of unauthorized cash withdrawals he made on a particular day.
Parsons admitted to bank investigators that he made the withdrawals and identified the affected clients, according to State Police.
Parsons told investigators that he deposited the money into his own bank account for personal use.
In making his statement, Parsons reportedly indicated that he felt badly about taking the funds and intended to replace the money.
According to Parsons, on one occasion he replaced a portion of the funds taken from one client.
All five clients were contacted by bank representatives, and each confirmed that the transactions were conducted without their consent.
The affected clients were subsequently reimbursed for the unauthorized withdrawals.
