Former Atlanta banker arrested in $931K cryptocurrency fraud scheme

ATLANTA - A former Atlanta-area banker faces federal charges after allegedly siphoning nearly $1 million from customer accounts into cryptocurrency wallets. 

Atlanta bank fraud charges

What we know:

Federal authorities arrested 35-year-old Mercedes Henry of Stone Mountain on Friday following a federal grand jury indictment returned last Tuesday.

Prosecutors say Henry worked as a universal banker at multiple Ameris Bank locations in the Atlanta area in 2021.

On at least six occasions between September 2021 and November 2021, Henry allegedly stole account numbers and identifiers from six customers. 

Investigators say she used that sensitive information to link the victim accounts to Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange platform used to buy digital currencies like Bitcoin. 

The scheme resulted in the fraudulent transfer of $931,500 from Ameris Bank to Coinbase accounts controlled by co-conspirators. 

Prosecutors allege Henry received over $1,000 for her role in the operation. 

She currently faces federal charges of bank fraud, access device fraud and bribery. 

Federal cryptocurrency investigation

What we don't know:

Federal officials have not yet released the identities of the co-conspirators who controlled the Coinbase accounts.