Bank teller Jada Smith sentenced for stealing over $50,000 from bank customers

“On some incidences, Smith was seen to take possession of the cash and on other occasions, she is observed completing deposit slips for a third party's bank account.”

(CMR) Jada Tatyana Smith was sentenced to six months for theft for stealing KYD $52,600 from various victims who were customers at Cayman National Bank on March 30. Smith has also been ordered to repay the money by December 29, 2023.

CMR understands that her family is falsely telling people that the 19-year-old is currently in university.

Smith worked at the Camana Bay location as a bank teller for one year before being terminated for the thefts. One of the victims she claims was a former partner.

The allegations are that she stole:

• Between February 4, 2020 and March 20, 2020 she stole KYD $7,200 from the bank account of a named customer at Cayman National Bank.
• Between July 26, 2019 and October 31, 2019 she stole KYD$ 11,600 from a named customer at Cayman National Bank.
• Between January 23, 2020 and April 15, 2020 she stole $7,200 from a named called at Cayman National Bank.
• Between July 24, 2019 and May 1, 2020 she concealed criminal property in the amount of KYD $19,500.
• Between January 30, 2020 and May 1, 2020 she stole KYD $14,300 from a named customer at Cayman National Bank.

She was terminated from the bank on May 1, 2020 after CCTV footage showed her driving to an ATM machine to collect KYD $1,700 from the CNB Elgin Avenue.

Bank customers were able to identify multiple withdrawals that they had no recollection making with signatures that also did not match.

CCTV was subsequently reviewed showing the client did not attend the bank on the days with the disputed withdrawals. The same CCTV footage did however show Smith processing those transactions. When initially confronted she denied filling out the deposit slip and then admitted to the thefts claiming that she needed the money for rent.

When her supervisor asked why she did not request a salary advance she broke down crying and claimed that her family was not speaking to her and she could not seek their assistance. Smith's mother is a detective constable with the RCIPS's Financial Crime Unit.

After these discrepancies were reported to the police she was formally arrested and cautioned on July 17, 2020.

She is said to have used some of the funds to make online purchases.

Her friend Mariza Shakira Bennett was arrested and cautioned on July 23 2020 but no charges have been laid against her as of publication date. Smith used Bennett to transfer funds in her account and then the withdrawals were handed over to Smith.

Smith had a bright future after she joined a local law firm in the summer of 2018 from the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre as part of their summer intern program.

Smith will have to serve 60% of her sentence.