A Saugus man is facing federal charges for allegedly stealing more than $180,000 from two customer accounts at TD Bank, where he worked as a teller, and spent “some or all” of the money gambling at the Encore Boston Harbor in Everett, according to court records and the US Attorney’s office.
Derek Aut, 28, was arrested Wednesday and charged with embezzlement by a bank employee, prosecutors said in a statement. He appeared in federal court in Boston and was released on conditions and a $10,000 unsecured bond, according to court records.
According to prosecutors, Aut, who was working in a Boston branch of TD Bank, stole money from one customer’s account and then replaced the money with stolen funds from another account to cover up the theft after the customer noticed money was missing.
An affidavit written by an investigator with the Department of Homeland Security that was filed in the case said Aut allegedly committed the thefts between September 2023 and April 2024, taking approximately $183,677.73.
The investigator wrote in the affidavit that Aut allegedly used his Employee Identification Number to tap into the account of a 52-year-old woman he had assisted and made 46 withdrawals, totaling $156,000.
Authorities say Aut allegedly also stole from a second victim, a 99-year-old woman from Boston, by using his EID number to make four withdrawals from her account, totaling $10,700. According to the affidavit, Aut attempted to cover up the theft by replenishing the woman’s account with funds taken from the first victim’s account.
Aut was interviewed by TD Bank investigators on April 9 and allegedly confessed to making the withdrawals without the consent of the account holders. He allegedly told investigators that he needed the money to pay off a debt.
Investigators also found that Aut frequented the Encore over the course of those eight months, making 31 visits and exchanging more than $100,000 in cash for casino play, according to the affidavit. Authorities said his total “cash out” from the casino was $26,300 and his losses from gaming were about $32,000.
“Based on Aut’s casino activity, there is probable cause to believe that Aut was using cash stolen from Victim 1 and Victim 2′s accounts to pay for some or all of his gambling activity at the Casino,” the investigator wrote in the affidavit.
Aut’s lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment. A request for comment was also sent to TD Bank.
Aut is facing up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, prosecutors said.
Earlier this month, the Middlesex District Attorney’s office announced charges against three former Citizens Bank tellers for allegedly carrying out a “coordinated scheme” to steal tens of thousands from customer accounts at branches in Somerville, Dorchester, and Milton.
Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com.
