Mary Mercedes Lea’Aetoa: Former ANZ Carnarvon bank teller jailed for repeatedly stealing from 63yo customer

A former ANZ bank teller has been jailed for more than two years after she stole more than $56,000 from a vulnerable customer in Carnarvon. Mary Mercedes Lea’Aetoa appeared in Albany District Court on Thursday, June 13, for sentencing on 24 counts of stealing as a servant, five counts of uttering a forged record, one count of unlawful access of a computer system, and one count of unlawful possession of property. Lea’Aetoa pleaded guilty on June 10. The court was told Lea’Aetoa was a personal banker at ANZ Banking Group in Carnarvon when she stole a total of $56,595 from a 63-year-old customer between May 20, 2022 and February 9, 2023. Lea’Aetoa forged the customer’s signature on an ANZ withdrawal voucher to withdraw money from her account and deposit it into her own 24 times. The court was told the victim saw Lea’Aetoa to withdraw $10,000 to prepay her own funeral. When the victim returned to the bank to return the money, Lea’Aetoa refunded $8029 into her account but kept $1565 cash and transferred it into her own account. Lea’Aetoa changed the registered mobile number on the woman’s personal banking profile to her own number and set up voice ID on her account without permission. She used her mobile phone to make unauthorised transfers from the victims account to her own and used her banking details to purchase a mobile phone. The 63-year-old victim approached Lea’Aetoa for help to lock down her account, believing her money was going missing, when Lea’Aetoa recommended she transfer her money to a long-term savings account. The customer requested a $20,000 transfer into the new account and a $10,000 cash withdrawal. The court heard Lea’Aetoa withdrew a total of $23,000, putting $20,000 into the new account and handing the victim $1000 cash, taking $2000 for herself. She put the receipt for the transaction in the shredding pile, rather than giving it to the victim. Judge Belinda Lonsdale said it was hard to accept Lea’Aetoa was truly remorseful after showing no signs of guilt or remorse while stealing the money. “You now claim that you are remorseful. But it is somewhat hard to accept that you are sorry for anyone but yourself,” she said. Ms Lonsdale said Lea’Aetoa persistently preyed on the 63-year-old, who was a vulnerable customer and a relative by marriage. “Not only did you opportunistically take her money when she came into the bank, you went to the trouble of setting up voice identification, using your own number, so that you could continue taking money from her,” she said. “It really is hard to understand why you would behave so poorly to someone who had done no wrong to you and who was an entirely innocent person.” Lea’Aetoa was sentenced to two years and four months jail, to be served from Monday, June 10. She will be eligible for parole after serving half the term.