EddieJayonCrypto
26 Feb 25
A lawsuit has been filed against FirstBank after over $200,000 disappeared from a deceased man's account. The estate of John Lindy Steward claims the bank did not reimburse unauthorized transfers despite being informed of Steward's death. The estate's executor alerted the bank in May 2021, but disco...
A lawsuit has been filed against FirstBank after over $200,000 disappeared from a deceased man's account. The estate of John Lindy Steward claims the bank did not reimburse unauthorized transfers despite being informed of Steward's death. The estate's executor alerted the bank in May 2021, but discovered withdrawals in December 2023. FirstBank allegedly only investigated after a police report was filed in June 2024 and later pointed to a former teller suspected of embezzling funds since 2017. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for the bank's alleged failure to act.
A billion-dollar bank is now being sued after more than $200,000 vanished from a dead man’s account, according to a new report. The estate of the late John Lindy Steward is suing FirstBank for allegedly refusing to reimburse a series of unauthorized transfers from his account – despite the bank being promptly notified of Steward’s death. The Virgin Islands Consortium reports that Reverend Arlington Chaseau, the estate’s executor, alerted FirstBank of Steward’s death in May of 2021 and left the account untouched for over two years. But in December of 2023, Chaseau received alerts of declined transactions due to insufficient funds. He later discovered the balance had dropped below $100, and says the bank had not frozen the account after receiving the death certificate. The lawsuit claims withdrawals began in September of 2022, including payments to a Discover credit card and ACH transfers to an external account. FirstBank reportedly admitted the activity might be fraudulent but only launched an investigation after Chaseau filed a police report in June of 2024. Last November, the bank pointed to a former teller suspected of siphoning $450,000 from Steward’s accounts since 2017. The ex-employee was arrested in January 2025, now faces embezzlement charges and is currently awaiting trial. The lawsuit demands compensatory and punitive damages from FirstBank for its failure to act.