KEY POINTS
- Casagrande worked as a team leader at Target Financial Services in Newport, Wales, providing services to the BBC, Barclays, and Credit Suisse.
- His partner, Jenna Connor, also admitted to the drug offences, for which she was slapped with a two-year suspended sentence and 250 hours of unpaid work, plus costs.
A UK finance worker has been exposed for stealing £75,000 from deceased clients to fuel his gambling addiction and support a lavish lifestyle. Corey Casagrande, 37, exploited his position at Credit Suisse to defraud account holders who had passed away, diverting the stolen funds to finance his extravagant expenditures on travel, designer clothes, and gambling.
Casagrande, who worked as a team leader at Target Financial Services in Newport, Wales, provided services to high-profile clients, including the BBC, Barclays, and Credit Suisse. His deceitful activities came to light after his girlfriend posted pictures of their luxurious lifestyle on social media, raising suspicions among her followers and the authorities.
In 2020, managers at Target discovered irregularities in the accounts Casagrande managed. An internal investigation determined that he was the perpetrator behind the fraudulent activities.
From Finance to Drugs
Following his dismissal from Target, Casagrande found another illegal means to sustain his lifestyle. He began transporting Class A drugs for an organised crime group, ultimately leading to his arrest. He was caught hauling a kilo of cocaine from Merseyside to South Wales. His partner, Jenna Connor, was also implicated in the drug offences. She received a two-year suspended sentence and 250 hours of unpaid work.
The Fraud Scheme
The fraud case, prosecuted by Hashim Salmman, revealed the sophisticated methods Casagrande used to steal from deceased Credit Suisse clients. Casagrande exploited his detailed knowledge of the firm's internal systems to forge documents from real solicitors and illegally access the funds in the accounts of the deceased.
Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard how Casagrande identified the executors of the estates and sent them fraudulent 'small estate forms' to claim the money. These forms, which required a solicitor's signature to confirm the legitimacy of the claimant, were falsified by Casagrande.
In August 2020, Target Financial Services discovered that £75,000 had been withdrawn from three accounts belonging to deceased customers. The money had been transferred to third parties using fake claim forms and solicitor letters. When checks were made with the solicitors, it was revealed that they had no knowledge of the documents bearing their names.
Social Media Clues
The investigation intensified when Casagrande's partner, Jemma Connor, who also worked for Target, posted entries on her Facebook account that indicated extravagant spending and a luxurious lifestyle. Pictures of holidays and Christian Louboutin designer shoes pointed to unexplained wealth, further incriminating Casagrande.
Casagrande was interviewed but failed to attend a disciplinary hearing at work, leading to his dismissal. He later admitted to the police his involvement in the fraud, stating that his partner was unaware of the source of the money he had given her. Casagrande claimed he had deceived her about the origins of the funds.
Court Proceedings
During court proceedings, Amelia Pike, defending Casagrande, argued that the fraud was committed at the peak of his gambling addiction. She stated that he was deeply ashamed of his actions and highlighted that he was a father of three, with his partner expecting another child. Pike added that since his release from prison in 2022 for the drug offences, Casagrande had turned his life around, starting a construction business employing three people.
Recorder Carl Harrison acknowledged Casagrande's extensive knowledge of Target's systems and the use of forged documents to divert funds into third-party accounts. He sentenced Casagrande to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered him to complete 80 hours of unpaid work.
