https://www.richmond-news.com/ontario-news/former-td-employee-indicted-for-distributing-customer-data-on-telegram-9778194

TORONTO — The Manhattan District Attorney has indicted a former TD Bank Group employee for allegedly distributing customer data on the Telegram messaging app while working in the bank's anti-money laundering department.

"This defendant allegedly abused her access while working in TD Bank’s anti-money laundering department to steal from the bank’s own customers," District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

The D.A.'s office says a search warrant executed on Daria Sewell's phone found that she had images of 255 cheques with names of customers, along with personal information of nearly 70 other customers including names, addresses and social security numbers.

It says Sewell is alleged to have then distributed the information on Telegram where she instructed others to open bank accounts to deposit the cheques and would split the profits.

The case has not yet been heard in court.

TD spokeswoman Elizabeth Goldenshtein said the employee was terminated and the bank has co-operated fully with authorities in the matter.

The office says Sewell worked at TD Bank from 2023 until May 2024.

It says the charges against Sewell stem from a larger investigation that charged five other people in a cheque fraud scheme, where the defendants allegedly deposited stolen cheques into their personal accounts.

As part of that investigation, the office says it found that the five defendants, among others, had communicated with Sewell about strategies for committing cheque fraud.

It says the investigation into the scheme as well as Sewell's conduct is ongoing.

The news comes not long after TD reached a more than US$3-billion settlement with U.S. regulators after pleading guilty to charges related to failings in its anti-money laundering program.

The bank admitted in its plea agreement that it allowed three money-laundering networks to transfer millions of dollars through bank accounts over six years.

TD has said it is making the investments, changes and enhancements required to deliver on its commitments regarding the anti-money laundering program.

U.S. regulators also imposed non-monetary sanctions on the bank in the form of an asset cap limiting its ability to grow south of the border.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.