Natalie K. Wight, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon
A Portland man has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for bank fraud and identity theft, following a scheme that defrauded a victim with an intellectual disability of over $426,000. Clinton Wells, 36, was also ordered to pay restitution totaling $426,481.14 and will serve three years of supervised release.
Court documents reveal that between March 2019 and April 2022, Wells exploited personal identification and bank account details to drain the life savings of his victim. The incident began on March 13, 2019, when Wells met the victim while working at a national tax preparation company and accessed their financial information. He commenced transferring funds from the victim's account into his own the next day.
In April 2019, Wells further entrenched himself by creating a user profile within the victim’s online banking system. This access enabled him to execute more than 1,100 unauthorized transactions including electronic transfers and purchases. The misappropriated funds were used for personal expenditures such as lavish trips and online shopping sprees. The fraudulent activities went unnoticed until after the victim's death when family members discovered unopened bank statements revealing these transactions.
Wells faced legal action when a federal grand jury in Portland returned a six-count indictment against him on February 13, 2024. He pleaded guilty to one count each of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft on October 30, 2024.
The case was jointly investigated by several agencies: U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, IRS Criminal Investigation, and Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. Meredith D.M. Bateman served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon in prosecuting this case.
