A Wells Fargo bank employee who bilked customers out of more than $100,000 around the time he was becoming a New York City police officer – and used some of the money for a BMW, an Aruba vacation and a butt-sculpting exercise program – has pleaded guilty.
Yeison Rodriguez Acosta, 28, pleaded guilty Monday, May 18, to third-degree grand larceny, first-degree identity theft and first-degree scheme to defraud.
In announcing the plea, the Westchester District Attorney’s Office did not say what sentence had been offered. But Peter Frankel, Rodriguez Acosta’s lawyer, said his client will be sentenced to probation and avoid incarceration if he can repay at least $80,000 by the time of sentencing, which state Supreme Court Justice James McCarty scheduled for Sept. 14.
“The defendant not only violated his oath to uphold the law, but he took advantage of his access to confidential information to betray members of our Westchester community,” District Attorney Susan Cacace said in a statement.
Frankel said Rodriguez Acosta was a good person who had overcome adversity to realize his dream of becoming a New York City cop, only to see that opportunity lost. His client had taken responsibility from the time of his arrest and was determined to make full restitution.
“Everyone makes mistakes,” Frankel said.
Rodriguez Acosta worked as a branch operations coordinator for Wells Fargo in Rye between March and September 2024. He then entered the NYPD police academy where he graduated in May 2025 and began field training in the 48th Precinct in the Bronx.
The thefts occurred from May 2024 until June2025, during which time Rodriguez Acosta took $113,735.80 from 26 customer accounts. At the time of his arrest last year, the total theft reported was $87,000 from 14 accounts.
In addition to the Aruba trip, the BMW payments and the subscription to ‘Booty by Jakes’, Rodriguez Acosta used the money to pay credit cards bills for himself and others; for an Airbnb; for restaurant meals; and for his GEICO insurance.
When Rodriguez Acosta was arrested last year he was suspended without pay and has since resigned from the NYPD, a department spokesperson said.
Frankel said Rodriguez Acosta would face some Westchester jail time if he does not manage to repay enough by sentencing.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Guilty plea in theft from customers by Rye bank employee-turned-cop
Reporting by Jonathan Bandler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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