A Darien man has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $57,000 from a former U.S. Navy service member.
Christopher Teixeira, 34, of Darien, pleaded guilty in federal court in Hartford Wednesday to one count of wire fraud.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, the victim trusted Teixeira with certain financial responsibilities. The victim was scheduled to receive a medical severance payment from the Navy in January 2017. He gave Teixeira his login information to the online “MyPay” portal for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), the agency of the U.S. Department of Defense that administers all payments to U.S. service members.
On Jan. 10, 2017, before the victim received the payment, Teixeira used the MyPay portal to change the victim’s direct deposit information to a bank account controlled by Teixeira. Authorities said that after DFAS sent the victim’s $57,255.66 payment, Teixeira then logged back into the MyPay account and switched the direct deposit information back to avoid detection.
After the theft, Teixeira told the victim he would help find the missing money, and even transferred the victim $6,500 when the victim said he needed money, authorities said.
Teixeira used the stolen money to pay for his own personal expenses and transferred $25,000 to another person’s account.
Teixeira is scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 20, 2019.
