What would you do if $120,000 mysteriously landed in your bank account?
For most people, it sounds like a dream scenario, but if you said to yourself ‘spend it’, then you might think twice after hearing about a couple from Pennsylvania, who are accused of theft after doing exactly that.
Robert, 36, and Tiffany Williams, 35, are in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt and facing time behind bars after being accused of spending money which mysteriously landed in their account.
The couple appeared in court on Tuesday after reportedly spending more than two weeks blowing through their unexpected windfall, buying cars and even a camper, according to WNEP, via the New York Post.
It’s reported the pair both appeared charged with theft and receiving stolen property.
Police say that BB&T bank put the money in the couple’s bank account on May 31 due to a clerical error by a bank teller.
But, instead of contacting the bank about their error, by June 19 the couple had spent six figures on a lavish purchase which included an SUV, two four-wheelers and a car trailer, the New York Post reports.
The Williams are also said to have used the money for bills, car repairs, cash purchases, as well as giving $15,000 away to friends.
According to reports in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, the bank contacted Tiffany about the mistake on June 20 and to notify her the money had been taken out of the account, resulting in a $107,416 overdraft fee.
It’s claimed she told the bank she would ‘speak to her husband and attempt to construct a repayment agreement,’ police said.
However, the couple suddenly stopped responding to the bank and so the authorities were contacted to help recoup the stolen money.
In late July, Robert admitted that he and his wife had known the ‘mislaid money did not belong to them, but they spent it anyway.’
The couple now face three felony charges of theft and receiving stolen property, according to court records. Their bail was posted at $25,000 each.
There’s a lesson to be learned here for anyone who may find themselves in a similar situation. I’m pretty sure we’ve all dreamed of mysteriously coming into large sums of money, but suddenly finding yourself in more than $100,000 of debt has got to be the kind of thing nightmares are made of.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.