A former Ameris Bank employee has been charged with bank fraud, access device fraud and bribery over about $931,500 in transfers taken from six customers’ accounts. Mercedes Henry, 35, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, was a universal banker at several Atlanta-area branches in 2021, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. A federal grand jury returned the indictment on September 22, 2026, and she appeared in federal court on September 25.
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The charges are allegations, and the Justice Department reminds the public that an indictment contains only charges. Henry is presumed innocent unless and until she is proven guilty in court.
Prosecutors say that from September to November 2021, Henry used six Ameris customers’ bank account numbers and identifiers to link their accounts to Coinbase accounts, on at least six occasions. Her co-conspirators then received roughly $931,500 from those customers’ accounts into Coinbase accounts they controlled, and Henry received more than $1,000 for her part.
For customers of any bank, the question the case raises is how an insider gets at account numbers and what a customer can do about the personal information that is exposed elsewhere. The six customers in this case did nothing to hand over their account details; prosecutors say the details were used by a banker who worked at the bank. What a customer controls is how quickly a transfer is spotted and how much other personal information is sitting in public databases.
The details in this case came from inside the bank, which no removal request can reach. The personal information that sits on data broker and people-search sites is a separate exposure, and Incogni sends removal requests to those brokers for you and keeps re-sending them.
How the transfers allegedly worked
The scheme, as prosecutors describe it, ran on the account numbers and identifiers of six customers. Linking those accounts to Coinbase accounts is what moved the money: the co-conspirators received roughly $931,500 from the customers’ accounts in Coinbase accounts they controlled.
The release puts the total at approximately $931,500 across the six customers. It does not break the figure down by customer. Divided evenly, the total would come to about $155,000 per account, though the release does not say the losses were equal.
The bribery charge and the $1,000 payment
Bribery is part of the case because of what Henry allegedly received. The Justice Department says she was paid more than $1,000 in exchange for her participation. That is about one-tenth of one percent of the $931,500 that moved out of the six accounts.
Access device fraud and bank fraud are charged alongside the bribery count. The release does not state which conduct each count covers, and does not state the maximum penalties.
What officials said
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said Henry “stole sensitive information to facilitate nearly $1 million of fraudulent transfers” from the customers’ accounts. Marlo Graham, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Atlanta field office, said “crimes of greed and opportunity will not go unpunished.”
The FBI investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cathelynn Tio is prosecuting it. The release is dated September 28, 2026.
The timeline is long. The transfers the indictment describes ran from September to November 2021, and the grand jury returned its indictment on September 22, 2026, nearly five years later. Henry appeared in federal court three days after that, on September 25.
What to do when a bank account transfer is not yours
The federal rule on electronic transfers sets liability limits that depend on how fast a customer reports. Under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Regulation E, a customer who notifies the bank within two business days is liable for the lesser of $50 or the unauthorized transfers made before notice, according to 12 CFR 1005.6. Without notice in that window, the limit is the lesser of $500 or a sum that includes the first $50 and later transfers the bank shows would have been prevented by earlier notice. Transfers that happen after 60 days following the statement that shows them can fall on the customer if the bank shows earlier notice would have prevented them.
That makes the monthly statement the main tool. Customers who find a linked outside account, an unfamiliar crypto exchange transfer or a payee they never set up should call the bank’s fraud line and then confirm the report in writing. The CFPB’s fraud page points to reportfraud.ftc.gov for complaints to the Federal Trade Commission, lists the bureau’s phone number at (855) 411-2372, and says older adults or people with disabilities can contact their local adult protective services agency. The TTY line is (855) 729-2372, and a complaint form is linked from the bureau’s site.
The same page lists the situation of noticing an unauthorized transaction or missing money under its common issues, with a link to guidance on getting money back from a checking account. Keep the statement pages, the dates and the name of whoever took the report.
Where account details leak beyond the bank
In this case, the account numbers and identifiers allegedly went from the six customers’ accounts to Coinbase accounts through a banker’s access, and a removal request cannot touch a bank’s own records. Personal details spread through other channels as well, and Incogni asks data brokers and people-search sites to remove your personal information, sends removal requests on your behalf and keeps re-sending them. Less personal data on broker lists can mean fewer scam calls, texts and emails, and the status of each request shows in your Incogni account.
Get your personal details off people-search sites with Incogni →
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by The Financial Wire’s editorial team.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
