An indictment unsealed this week in Multnomah County alleges that a former Wells Fargo employee siphoned tens of thousands of dollars from the account of a 90-something Gresham woman in the months before and after her death.

Prosecutors say 31-year-old Brittany Monique McLaughlin is facing 20 counts, including aggravated theft and aggravated identity theft. According to the indictment, she diverted more than $26,000 from the account of Bernadette Richardson between January and June of 2023. Richardson died in March of that year.

Her niece, Leah Dieringer, said the family only realized something was wrong after Richardson’s passing, when her father began sorting through his sister’s finances. That’s when he handed Dieringer the bank statements.

“I see this name, Brittany McLaughlin, attached to it,” Dieringer recalled. “I’m like, what is this name? He’s like, I have no idea who that is.”

The family eventually uncovered a months-long pattern of transactions they say had nothing to do with Richardson: payments for car loans, insurance, utilities, PayPal transfers, and cash withdrawals. Dieringer believes her aunt’s information was compromised when she called Wells Fargo for help with online banking, and that the employee on the other end of the line took advantage of the situation.

“Finding this out after she had passed away was horrible,” Dieringer said. “My aunt was an amazing person. She gave to a ton of different charities. To find out that someone had taken this money from someone who was older, just took advantage of them, it’s horrific.”

Wells Fargo reimbursed the family about $13,000, covering roughly three months of losses. But Dieringer says the bank never flagged the suspicious transactions as they were happening and that the full financial toll has not been recouped.

McLaughlin, who now lives out of state, has not yet been arrested. A warrant is active for her arrest.

In a statement, a Wells Fargo spokesperson confirmed the bank is cooperating with law enforcement. “Our thoughts remain with Ms. Richardson’s family and we take this matter seriously. The employee has not worked at Wells Fargo since 2022 and we have cooperated with law enforcement in their investigation. We are reviewing the family’s concerns and do not have an update at this time.”

For Dieringer, the case raises broader concerns. “This is just us,” she said. “My thought is, if she stole this from just my aunt, who knows. It couldn’t just be one person.”