SICK CON
Finance worker stole £75k from dead bank customers to fund lavish lifestyle – but was caught out by girlfriend’s posts
Thief splurged cash on designer shoes and also funded his gambling habit
A FINANCE worker who stole £75,000 from dead bank customers to fund a lavish lifestyle was caught out by his girlfriend's social media posts.
Corey Casagrande, 37, splurged on luxury holidays with Jemma Connor and bought designer shoes and clothing.
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He also used cash stolen from dead bank customers to fund his gambling habit.
But his vile crimes were exposed when his employer Target Financial Services, whose clients included the BBC, Barclays, and Credit Suisse, checked Jemma's Facebook account.
Jemma - also a worker at the firm - had shared posts that "suggested that she had been spending large amounts of money and living a lavish lifestyle”.
This included pictures of their holidays and flashy Christian Louboutin shoes.
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Casagrande has now been handed a 20-month suspended sentence after he admitted fraud by abuse of position.
Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard the thief had a “sophisticated” understanding of Target's internal systems.
He used fake documents from real solicitors to steal £75,000 from the accounts of three dead Credit Suisse customers.
The money was paid to third parties, who had submitted claim forms accompanied by solicitors signed letters.
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But the solicitors involved showed they had no knowledge of the documents bearing their names.
Once a probe was launched, Casagrande was interviewed and later dismissed by the firm.
His girlfriend and another female employee were also let go following an internal investigation.
When interviewed by police, Casagrande said Jemma was “unaware of the source” of the money he had given her.
In mitigation, Amelia Pike, defending, said he committed the fraud “at the peak of addiction” to gambling while he was “living the lifestyle that accompanies it”.
She told the court Casagrande was deeply ashamed of his actions and his partner was in the early stages of a pregnancy.
The lawyer also revealed the scammer had "turned his life around" since being released from jail for a previous offence.
Both Casagrande and Jemma were caught smuggling cocaine from Liverpool to South Wales.
Sentencing, Recorder Carl Harrison said it was clear he was motivated by a financial desire to pay off debts and also fund a “lavish lifestyle”.
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