Oregon Tax Worker Stole Over $426k in Life Savings from an Intellectually Challenged Victim

A Portland man, who knowingly and intentionally used personal identification and bank account information to steal more than $426,000 in life savings of an intellectually disabled victim, has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Clinton Wells (36) was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $426,481.14 in restitution to his victim.

He Stole the Money While Working for a Tax Preparation Company

Court records reveal that Wells stole the money between March 2019 and April 2022 while Wells was working for a national tax preparation company where he met his victim on 13 March 2019.

Records show that Wells started transferring the victim’s life savings into his own account the following day.

Using the victim’s online banking system, Wells created a user profile that gave him access to complete more than 1,100 transactions. Electronic money transfers and online purchases paid for extravagant trips and personal expenses.

The theft remained undetected until the victim’s death when the family found unopened bank statements that revealed the unauthorized transactions.

Wells was charged with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft by a federal grand jury in Portland on 13 February 2024. He pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft on 30 October 2024.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, IRS Criminal Investigation, and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. The prosecutor was Meredith D.M. Bateman, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.