A former bank manager from Methuen was sentenced this week to a year and a day in federal prison for stealing or attempting to steal more than $560,000 from deceased account holders.
Forty-two-year-old Kazi Pervez of Methuen was a branch manager for a bank in Salem, N.H., where he opened or instructed bank employees to open accounts in the name of deceased customers. From at least April of 2016 until September of 2017, Pervez then withdrew money from the accounts that exceeded the balance of the accounts and used his authority to authorize overdraft, according to Acting New Hampshire U.S. Attorney John J. Farley.
“This defendant took advantage of his position at a bank to steal money from the bank accounts of deceased individuals,” said Farley. “This significant breach of trust is also a serious federal crime. As this case demonstrates, we work closely with the Secret Service to identify and prosecute white collar criminals and to seek justice for the victims of financial crimes.”
Pervez also identified inactive bank accounts of deceased bank customers and transferred money out of those accounts to other accounts that he controlled. Of the total, Pervez successfully transferred more than $450,000 to other accounts outside the bank for his personal use.
Pervez previously pleaded guilty March 29, 2021. Besides prison time, Pervez was ordered to return $454,730.26.